A bunion is a bony bump that forms at the base of the big toe, causing the joint to stick out and often leading to discomfort or shoe-fitting issues. It results from pressure, misalignment, or hereditary factors, and can worsen with ill-fitting footwear. In medical terms, it’s called hallux valgus and may require care or correction over time.
"The patient wore oversized shoes to avoid aggravating the bunion."
"She consulted a podiatrist about the bunion on her left foot."
"The hallux valgus bunion caused persistent pain during walking."
"Custom orthotics helped ease the pressure on the bunion when standing."
The term bunion traces to the Old French bouonon, from bouonier “to swell,” related to bou, boue “lump.” In the late 17th century, English speakers adopted bunion to describe a swelling or bump at the base of a toe. The medicalized form hallux valgus (hallux = big toe; valgus = turned outward) dates from Latin roots used in anatomical descriptions. The word’s sense broadened in lay usage to include any prominent bony bump on the foot, often linked to bunions caused by repetitive pressure or footwear constraints. Over centuries, medical literature refined definitions, noting structural deviation at the first metatarsophalangeal joint, along with associated pain, inflammation, and deformity progression. The concept remains common in podiatry, with prevention and treatment evolving from simple padding to surgical correction in some cases.
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Words that rhyme with "Bunion"
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Phonetically, bunion is /ˈbjuːniən/ in US and UK, with the primary stress on the first syllable. Start with the consonant blend /b/ followed by /j/ to form the 'bju' sound, then /ːu/ as the long 'you' vowel, leading into /niən/ with a light, unstressed ending. In IPA, US: /ˈbjuːniən/, UK: /ˈbjuːniən/, AU: /ˈbjuːniən/. Imagine saying “boy” but lighter and more clipped: /ˈbjuː/ then /niən/. You’ll hear the emphasis on the first syllable. Audio reference: try saying it slowly as /ˈbjuː-ni-ən/ and then speed up.
Two frequent errors: 1) Dropping the /j/ after /b/, saying /ˈbunɪən/ which sounds like ‘bun-i-on’ rather than /ˈbjuːniən/. 2) Misplacing the final schwa-like /ən/ or making it a hard /ən/. Correct by keeping /niən/ with a light, unstressed schwa in the final syllable: /ˈbjuː-ni-ən/. Practice the two-phoneme glide /j/ and the diphthong /juː/ to preserve the “bju” onset.
In US/UK, the word centers the /ˈbjuː/ onset with a clear /juː/ glide and a final unstressed /ən/. Australian English mirrors this, but vowel quality can be broader, with a slightly more centralized final /ən/ and less pronounced /j/ for some speakers. Rhotic pronunciation doesn’t affect bunion since the word ends with an /ən/ syllable; the main variance is the length and quality of the /juː/ and the degree of rhoticity elsewhere in connected speech.
The difficulty lies in the /ˈbjuː/ onset, specifically maintaining the /j/ glide as part of the /juː/ diphthong, and not reducing the second syllable too aggressively. Many speakers insert a light /ɪ/ or /i/ before the final /ən/ or mispronounce the /juː/ as /uː/ without the /j/. The combination of a consonant cluster /bj/ with the vowel /juː/ and a reduced final syllable makes the word prone to mispronunciation unless you practice the precise tongue positioning and smooth transitions.
Is the /juː/ in bunion more of a /j/ followed by /uː/ (a single diphthong) or a true /ju/ onset with a compressed glide? For most speakers, it behaves like a single /juː/ diphthong, but thinking of it as /b/ + /j/ + /uː/ + /n/ + /j/ + /ən/ helps in careful articulation, especially in careful or slow speech. Remember to keep the /j/ articulated as a consonant after the /b/ before the /uː/ vowel.
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