catarrh
1 synonym for catarrh, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Excess mucus produced by an inflamed membrane in the nose or throat, or the discharge itself.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use catarrh
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
bad catarrh
suffer from catarrh
clear catarrh
chronic catarrh
It is used both as a medical term and as an everyday word for a heavy, blocked-up cold.
Etymology
The word reached English through medieval Latin catarrus, which came from late Latin catarrhus. That in turn came from the ancient Greek katarrhoos, meaning a flowing down, formed from kata, meaning down, and rheo, meaning to flow.
Full origin of catarrh →Frequently asked questions
What is catarrh?
It is a build-up of mucus caused by inflammation of a membrane in the nose or throat, and the word is also used loosely for a cold that produces it.
Is catarrh the same as a cold?
Not exactly. Catarrh is the mucus and congestion themselves, though people often use the word loosely to mean the cold or illness that causes it.
Where does the word catarrh come from?
It comes from Greek katarrhoos, meaning a flowing down, and reached English by way of Latin.
