otosclerosis

[oh-tuh-skli-roh-sis]

noun

Pathology.

1. formation of new bone about the stapes or cochlea, resulting in hearing loss.

Word History and Origins

Origin of otosclerosis¹

From New Latin, dating back to 1895–1900; oto-, sclerosis

Example Sentences

Apart from a rare stapedectomy performed in response to a condition known as otosclerosis, if you’re hearing disabled, no operation can fix the condition.

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Medicals historians have speculated that otosclerosis—a condition in which a tiny ear bone called the stapes fuses with other parts of the ear—might have been responsible for Beethoven’s hearing loss.

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Still, my hearing loss did not occur during pregnancy, and after a battery of tests, doctors scratched otosclerosis from the list of possible causes.

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That's because otosclerosis is a disease that affects the bone that surrounds the stapes.

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In her early 30s, she finally learned that she had otosclerosis, a disease of the bones of the inner ear that limited the transmission of sound.

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