Otorrhoea

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An abnormal secretion from the ear often indicating an infection or other health-related issue occurs when fluid flows from the outer or inner ear
2. The condition involves the discharge of fluid from the ear, which can signal an underlying infection or other ear-related problems
3. The flow of liquid from the ear that commonly results from infection or injury to the ear canal or middle ear

Etymology: The word is a medical coinage built from two Greek-derived combining forms: "oto-", from Greek "ous" (genitive "ōtos"), meaning "ear", and "-rrhoea", from Greek "rhoia", meaning "a flow" or "discharge". Put together, the sense is simply "a flowing from the ear", which is exactly what a doctor would need to name a discharge of fluid from the ear canal. Both pieces were built to be recombined. Forms like "-rrhoea" appear in other clinical terms, such as "diarrhoea" (a flow through the bowels) and "rhinorrhoea" (a flow from the nose), so a physician could assemble a precise label from familiar parts. The spelling "otorrhoea" keeps the "oe" of the Greek-influenced British tradition, while "otorrhea" is the American variant.