The word of the day is tragus, pronounced \ ˈtrā-gəs \: “the prominence in front of the external opening of the outer ear.” The word derives from New Latin, from the Greek tragos, “literally, goat.” Why is this body part likened to a goat? The Oxford English Dictionary explains: “on account of the bunch of hairs which it bears.”
Sample sentence: “The tragus should then be pumped 5 times by pushing inward to facilitate penetration of the drops into the middle ear.”
You can guess how I learned about this word. The sample sentence comes from the printed matter that accompanied my drops.
[Yes, an ear infection. And yes, there’s a goat in tragedy too.]
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Word of the day: tragus
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comments: 8
Surfer's wisdom: after swimming or getting your ear-insides wet, flush them with a capful of rubbing alcohol to dry them out and prevent infection. My wife refused to believe me for a couple of years, but after suffering a couple, our doctor told her the same thing. Since taking our advice, she hasn't had an ear infection in 15 years. I've had one since I was ten, and I surfed in LA for many years. I don't know if that's how you got yours, but it seems this simple trick is unknown outside beach communities.
Thanks for that, ChasM. My trouble started with my sinuses, no water involved.
A new word for a known body part - who knew? Here's a story about a body part that was only recently discovered (or perhaps, rediscovered). https://www.livescience.com/new-body-part-in-jaw-discovered
Amazing. Thanks, Joe.
Bizarrely, I came across this word back in sixth form school days (ie around 16 years of age) - in an attempt to stop boys trying to grow facial hair in the sixth form the school regs said that hair in front of the ear should not be below the tragus of the ear.
Have a guess how many of us teenagers had the first idea what it meant (let alone the etymology :) )
A nice way to encourage use of the dictionary. : )
Ha! I just learned that word from my own ear infection recently. Ciprofloxacin and dexamethasone for the win!
I’ve got the two Cipri (?!) here, drops and tablets. I gotta watch those sinuses in winter. You too, I’m guessing.
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