otitis externa
Low (Specialist/Medical)Formal, Medical/Clinical
Definition
Meaning
An inflammation or infection of the outer ear canal (the passage from the eardrum to the outside of the head).
A medical condition, often caused by bacterial or fungal infection, moisture (e.g., swimmer's ear), or physical irritation, characterised by pain, itching, redness, and sometimes discharge in the external auditory canal.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
A fixed binomial medical term; its components are rarely separated in professional use. It is primarily a countable noun (e.g., 'He has an otitis externa,' 'cases of otitis externa').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in term usage. Both use the Latin-derived medical term. Colloquial terms like 'swimmer's ear' are equally common in both varieties.
Connotations
Purely clinical; no regional connotative differences.
Frequency
Equally low frequency in general language but standard in medical contexts in both regions.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Patient] has/develops/suffers from otitis externa.[Treatment] is for otitis externa.Otitis externa [verb: causes, results in, presents with] [symptom].Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in medical, nursing, and biological science publications and lectures.
Everyday
Rare; if used, often replaced by 'swimmer's ear' or 'an ear infection.'
Technical
Standard diagnostic term in otolaryngology (ENT), general practice, and veterinary medicine.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The GP suspected the patient might be developing otitis externa.
- The condition often presents as an acute otitis externa.
American English
- The urgent care doctor diagnosed her with otitis externa.
- Frequent swimming can predispose you to otitis externa.
adjective
British English
- The otitis externa infection required antibiotic drops.
- He presented with classic otitis externa symptoms.
American English
- The otitis externa case was complicated by eczema.
- She was prescribed an otitis externa treatment regimen.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The doctor said I have an ear infection from swimming.
- Swimmer's ear is a common name for an infection in the outer ear canal.
- After a week in the pool, he developed otitis externa, which caused significant discomfort and itching.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'Otitis' relates to EAR (like 'otoscope'), and 'Externa' is EXTERNAL – it's the inflammation on the OUTSIDE part of the ear canal.
Conceptual Metaphor
INFLAMMATION/INFECTION IS AN INVADER (battling an infection, fighting otitis externa).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate literally as 'отит внешний.' The standard Russian medical term is 'наружный отит' (naruzhnyy otit).
- Avoid confusing with 'средний отит' (sredniy otit) which is 'otitis media.'
Common Mistakes
- Mispronouncing 'otitis' as /ɒˈtaɪtɪs/ (stress is on the second syllable: /əʊˈtaɪtɪs/).
- Incorrectly pluralising as 'otitises externa' – the plural is 'otitides externa' or more commonly 'cases of otitis externa.'
- Using 'otitis externa' to refer to a middle ear infection (which is otitis media).
Practice
Quiz
What is the most common colloquial term for 'otitis externa'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Otitis externa affects the outer ear canal, while a middle ear infection is called 'otitis media.'
Yes. While swimming is a common cause (introducing moisture), it can also result from scratching the ear, skin conditions like eczema, or using hearing aids or earplugs.
Treatment usually involves antibiotic or antifungal ear drops to combat the infection, and sometimes corticosteroid drops to reduce inflammation. Keeping the ear dry is also crucial.
Generally, no. It is typically a localised infection caused by bacteria or fungi that are already on the skin or introduced by water/moisture, not spread from person to person like a cold.