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definitions

stertorous

[stur-ter-uh s]
See more synonyms for stertorous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. characterized by stertor or heavy snoring.
  2. breathing in this manner.

Origin of stertorous

First recorded in 1795–1805; stertor + -ous
Related formsster·to·rous·ly, adverbster·to·rous·ness, nounpost·ster·to·rous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for stertorous

discordant, loud, strident, harsh, vociferous, blatant, jarring, raucous, throaty, gruff, gravelly, acute, brusque, cacophonous, dissonant, dry, grating, grinding, hoarse, husky

Examples from the Web for stertorous

Historical Examples of stertorous

  • There was something ominous about the spasmodic and stertorous breathing.

  • With that enigmatical comment he was silent save for stertorous breathing.

    Desert Dust

    Edwin L. Sabin

  • He seemed in a profound stupor, but there was no stertorous breathing.

    Ladies-In-Waiting

    Kate Douglas Wiggin

  • The only sound was the stertorous breathing of the unconscious guard.

    Gold in the Sky

    Alan Edward Nourse

  • Anne shook him, but he did not awake, his breathing being slow and stertorous.

    The Trumpet-Major

    Thomas Hardy

British Dictionary definitions for stertorous

stertorous

adjective
  1. marked or accompanied by heavy snoring
  2. breathing in this way
Derived Formsstertorously, adverbstertorousness, noun
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
Word Origin and History for stertorous
adj.

1802, from Modern Latin stertor (from Latin stertere "to snore") + -ous.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper