sternutation

American  

[stur-nyuh-tey-shuhn] / ˌstɜr nyəˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of sneezing.

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sternutation British  

/ ˌstɜːnjʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. a sneeze or the act of sneezing

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Etymology

Origin of sternutation

1535–45; < Latin sternūtātiōn- (stem of sternūtātiō ), equivalent to sternūtāt ( us ) (past participle of sternūtāre, frequentative of sternuere to sneeze) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Sternutation is the formal word for sneeze. When everything is covered with yellow pollen, many people have fits of sternutation. Hand them tissues. You’ll probably never need this word unless you need extra syllables for haiku about spring. Sternutation is caused by some irritant — dust, animal dander, or smoke, for example — inside the nose, which causes a sudden burst of air from your lungs to escape your nose and mouth in a sneeze. The purpose of sternutation is to clear your nasal passages of foreign substances. Interestingly, sternutation is impossible while you're asleep. The Latin root is sternuere, "to sneeze."

Example Sentences

But more sophisticated observers had already recognised that this was not a sternutation, but the dab, a dance craze that has long since slipped its faddish origins to become a dance staple.

From The Guardian • Jan. 4, 2017

He has a good online following, eager to hear about his latest sternutation, and says he will continue for the rest of his life.

From BBC • Oct. 10, 2014

His sneeze count, currently just over 4,000, has a healthy online following as people log in to read about his latest sternutation.

From BBC • Oct. 7, 2014

Would any one believe that a simple sternutation could produce such ravages on a quadrupedal organism?

From Madame Bovary A Tale of Provincial Life by Flaubert, Gustave

During the season of gathering the pepper, the persons employed are subject to various incommodities, the chief of which is violent and long-continued sternutation or sneezing.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 01, No. 05, March, 1858 by Various