meatus

[ mee-ey-tuhs ]

/ miˈeɪ təs /

Save This Word!

noun, plural me·a·tus·es, me·a·tus.Anatomy.

an opening or foramen, especially in a bone or bony structure, as the opening of the ear or nose.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of meatus

1655–65; <Latin meātus course, channel, equivalent to meā(re) to go, extend, have a course + -tus suffix of v. action

OTHER WORDS FROM meatus

me·a·tal, adjective

Words nearby meatus

meatloaf, meatman, meat packing, meatspace, meat tea, meatus, meat wagon, meaty, mebendazole, mebi-, mec

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use meatus in a sentence

He refused to accept Huschke's derivation of the auditory meatus from the first gill-slit.
Form and Function|E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
This is repeated with fresh pledgets until the meatus is cleansed.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
They are comparatively rare in women, in consequence of the shortness of the urethra and the size of their meatus.
Gilbertus Anglicus|Henry Ebenezer Handerson
The great cavity is the bulla tympani or bulb of the ear; a m is the auditory meatus or external hole of the ear.
Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon|Robert A. Sterndale

The external auditory meatus (ear) is a small inconspicuous opening located just below and behind the eye.
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic|Stephen Leatherwood

British Dictionary definitions for meatus

meatus

/ (mɪˈeɪtəs) /

noun plural -tuses or -tus

anatomy a natural opening or channel, such as the canal leading from the outer ear to the eardrum

Word Origin for meatus

C17: from Latin: passage, from meāre to pass

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012