Catarrh

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kəˈtɑɹ/

Definitions

1. A medical condition marked by inflammation and excessive mucus production in the membranes of the nasal passages and throat
2. This disorder involves the accumulation of mucus due to inflammation in the respiratory tract, particularly affecting the nose and throat
3. A condition characterized by the buildup of mucus resulting from inflammation in the membranes of the nasal and throat areas

Etymology: The Greek physicians who first named this condition pictured it as a literal downward flow. "Katarrhoos" combined "katá," meaning "down," with "rhéō," meaning "to flow," so the word described something dripping from the head toward the throat. Ancient medical writers held that humours rose from the brain and descended through the body, and a cold was a discharge running down from above. The Greek term passed into Late Latin as "catarrhus" and then into Medieval Latin as "catarrus," and English received it in Middle English as "catarre." The core idea stayed the same across these languages: a fluid moving downward from the head. Only later did the word narrow to the inflamed membranes and the mucus they produce, which is the sense used today.

Synonyms: inflammation, mucus