sternutation
Americannoun
noun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
At the first sternutation the rats jumped up and looked about them, evidently considerably alarmed.
From Dick Cheveley His Adventures and Misadventures by Groome, William H. C.
During the season of gathering pepper, the persons employed are subject to various incommodities, the chief of which is violent and long-continued sternutation, or sneezing.
From Little Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor Volume I by Masson, Thomas L.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
