meatus

American

[mee-ey-tuhs] / miˈeɪ təs /

noun

Anatomy.

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

meatus British

/ mɪˈeɪtəs /

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms

meatal

adjective

Etymology

Origin of meatus

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In my case, the fracture tore through the meatus, cutting my inner ear off from the outside world.

From Slate • Oct. 13, 2021

The internal auditory meatus is located due south of the temporal bone.

From Slate • Oct. 13, 2021

The final opening of the urethra is called the meatus.

From Salon • Jul. 15, 2018

The canal enters the skull through the external auditory meatus of the temporal bone.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

If early examination of the ear is made, coagulated blood may be found in the meatus or upon the membrane, or ecchymosis may be visible on the latter.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023