Meatus is a medical term for a natural body passage or opening, such as a canal or duct, through which vessels or other structures pass. In anatomy texts it often refers to a canal-like passage within bone or soft tissue. The term is used in clinical descriptions and diagrams to specify openings in skull or ear anatomy.
US: keep rhotics, /ɹ/ pronounced as an approximant before vowels; UK: non-rhotic, but /ˈmiː.eɪ.təs/ remains; AU: tends toward compact vowel space with slightly reduced vowel length. Vowel shifts: /iː/ remains front high vowel; /eɪ/ as a tense diphthong including a glide from /e/ to /ɪ/; /ə/ in the final syllable tends to be a reduced schwa; final /s/ is crisp. IPA references: /ˈmiː.eɪ.təs/.
"The external auditory meatus channels sound waves to the eardrum."
"A meatus formation can be observed in the nasal passages near the paranasal sinuses."
"In some species, the meatus serves as a conduit for nerves or glands."
"The surgeon carefully incises the meatus to avoid damaging surrounding tissues."
Meatus comes from Latin meatus, meaning ‘a going, approach, or passage,’ from the verb ingredi ‘to go into, enter’. The Latin root me-/*me(-)/*means ‘to go,’ linked to ancient Semitic or Greek borrowings via Latin anatomy texts of the Renaissance that named natural conduits as meatus. The term entered English medical vocabulary in the 16th–17th centuries as scholars codified skull and ear anatomy, distinguishing natural openings from defects or pathological stenoses. Early anatomical descriptions emphasized bore and channel relationships within the skull, leading to specific eponymous and descriptive usage (e.g., external auditory meatus). Over time, meatus broadened to any canal-like passage in anatomy, retaining its sense of an opening through which flows pass. The pronunciation preserved the Latin plural/collective sense, while modern usage sometimes specifies named meati in anatomy (e.g., meatus acusticus, meatus externus). First printed usages appear in Latin-based anatomical glossaries and dissections manuals of the 1500s, followed by English translations in anatomical atlases in the 1600s–1700s, cementing meatus as a standard term in medicine and biology.
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Words that rhyme with "Meatus"
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Pronounce as ME-a-tus with primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: /ˈmiː.eɪ.təs/ in US/UK, and /ˈmiː.eɪ.təs/ in AU. Start with a long E in 'mee' (/iː/), glide to a clear /eɪ/ in the second syllable, then a light /təs/ ending. Keep the tongue high for /iː/, then raise to /eɪ/ with a gentle jaw drop, and end with a crisp /t/ and schwa /ə/ before /s/. You’ll hear the rhythm: MEI-ay-tus.
Two common errors are: 1) Skipping the second syllable and saying 'ME-atus' quickly as a two-syllable word; keep the /eɪ/ as a distinct vowel: /ˈmiː.eɪ.təs/. 2) Turning /t/ into a flap or strong d-like sound in casual speech; ensure a crisp /t/ before the final /əs/. Practice by isolating syllables: /miː/ - /eɪ/ - /təs/ and connecting softly. Alt: soften the last /t/ into a light tap if needed in fast speech.
In US/UK, primary stress on ME and the second vowel pronounced /eɪ/ as in 'day.' Usual rhoticity doesn’t change; /ˈmiː.eɪ.təs/. Australian speakers often preserve the /iː/ and /eɪ/ similarly but may have a slightly flatter /eɪ/ and a more dental /t/ release before /əs/. Some British speakers may reduce the second syllable slightly in rapid speech, producing a smoother /ˈmiːeɪtəs/. Overall, the main variation is subtle vowel quality and speed, not drastic rhotic changes.
The challenge lies in the three-syllable structure with a mid diphthong /eɪ/ in the middle and a final /əs/ that can blur into /əs/ or /əs/; maintaining the distinct /eɪ/ and the /t/ without flapping is tricky. Additionally, the sequence /iː.eɪ/ requires a controlled transition from a long 'ee' to a clear 'ay' without coalescing. Practicing deliberate segmentation helps overcome the subtle, rapid transitions.
Unique aspect: the sequence /iː.j/ can feel like a combined glide if you’re not deliberate. Focus on a clean hiatus between /iː/ and /eɪ/ and ensure the /t/ is released before /əs/. Also, avoid merging /miː/ and /eɪ/ into /miːeɪ/ with a collapsed boundary. Use mouth-shaped cues: start with a wide smile to elongate /iː/ then drop the jaw slightly for /eɪ/ before a crisp /t/.
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