catarrh

English

Etymology

From Middle English catarre, from Medieval Latin catarrus, from Late Latin catarrhus, from Ancient Greek κατάρροος (katárrhoos), which is derived from καταρρέω (katarrhéō, “to flow down”), which is composed of κατά (katá, “down”) and ῥέω (rhéō, “to flow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kəˈtɑɹ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Homophone: Qatar

Noun

catarrh (countable and uncountable, plural catarrhs)

2. (medicine) Inflammation of a mucous membrane.

   Hyponym: coryza

   2. Especially, that of the nose and throat.

      Synonym: coryza

      • 1763 June 20 (first performance), Samuel Foote, The Mayor of Garret. A Comedy, […], London: […] P[aul] Vaillant, […], published 1764, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 4:

        And then as to your ſcurvys, and gouts, rheumatiſms, conſumptions, coughs and catarrhs, tar-vvater and turpentine vvill make you as ſound as a roach.

      • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter III, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

        Jonah mixed him a pitch-like potion of gin and molasses, which he swore was a sovereign cure for all colds and catarrhs whatsoever […]

      • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:

        "Where I went wrong," he said, still speaking in that low, husky voice as if he had been a ghost suffering from catarrh, "was in getting engaged to Phyllis Mills."

   3. The discharge (fluid) associated with this condition.

      Hypernyms: phlegm, sputum

      He coughed violently and spat out the catarrh irritating his throat.

   5. (loosely, metonymic) Rhinitis or rhinosinusitis; cold or coldlike illness; common cold.
      • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “chapter 3”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

        [...] the wrinkled little old Jonah, there officiating, soon poured them out brimmers all round. One complained of a bad cold in his head, upon which Jonah mixed him a pitch-like potion of gin and molasses, which he swore was a sovereign cure for all colds and catarrhs whatsoever, never mind of how long standing, or whether caught off the coast of Labrador, or on the weather side of an ice-island.

Derived terms

• catarrhal
• catarrhal fever
• catarrhally
• catarrhine
• catarrhous
• catarrhy

Translations

inflammation of the mucous membranes

• Arabic: نَزْلَة f (nazla)
• Bulgarian: катар m (katar)
• Catalan: catarro (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 卡他 (kaa¹ taa¹)

  Mandarin: 黏膜炎 (zh) (niánmóyán)

• Danish: katar c
• Dutch: slijmvliesontsteking (nl) f, catarre (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: kataro
• Estonian: limaskestapõletik, katarr
• Faroese: rovubruni m
• Finnish: katarri (fi)
• French: catarrhe (fr) m
• German: Katarrh (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: κατάρροος m (katárrhoos)

• Hebrew: נַזֶּלֶת (he) f (nazélet)
• Hindi: ज़ुकाम (hi) m (zukām), जुकाम (hi) m (jukām), सर्दी (hi) f (sardī), प्रतिश्याय (hi) m (pratiśyāy)
• Hungarian: hurut (hu)
• Ido: kataro (io)
• Irish: réama m
• Italian: catarro (it) m
• Japanese: カタル (ja) (kataru)
• Latin: gravēdō f (literally “heaviness”), coryza f, catarrhus m, dēstīllātiō f (literally “dripping down”), gravitūdō f (literally “heaviness”) (very rare), īnflūxiō f (literally “flowing in”), rheuma f
• Macedonian: катар m (katar)
• Māori: kauanu, hinamokimoki
• Navajo: chʼiish
• Polish: katar (pl) m
• Portuguese: catarro (pt) m
• Russian: ката́р (ru) m (katár)
• Sanskrit: प्रतिश्याय (sa) m (pratiśyāya)
• Sicilian: catarru (scn) m
• Spanish: catarro (es) m
• Swedish: katarr (sv) c
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: نزله (nezle)

• Urdu: سردی (ur) f (sardī)
• Venetan: catar (vec) m
• Vilamovian: śnöp f
• Volapük: katar (vo)
• Western Punjabi: نزلہ (nzlh)

See also

• cold
• flu
• grippe, grip
• influenza
• pose
• sinusitis

Anagrams

• Carhart