stertorous
Americanadjective
-
marked or accompanied by heavy snoring
-
breathing in this way
Other Word Forms
- poststertorous adjective
- stertorously adverb
- stertorousness noun
Etymology
Origin of stertorous
Explanation
When someone's breathing is described as stertorous, it means their breathing is loud and labored, similar to the sound of heavy snoring. The word stertorous comes from the Latin stertor, meaning "snoring." Since the early 19th century, stertorous has been used to describe a specific type of heavy, labored breathing. For example, the deep, strained breathing that often follows an intense workout can be described as stertorous. This term is also commonly used in medical contexts to indicate when someone is having trouble breathing smoothly, which may signal potential respiratory issues.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It had something to do with his stertorous, slightly nasal-breathy way of speaking: a vocal tic to compare with De Niro or Brando.
From The Guardian • Jun. 20, 2013
Its breath is stertorous, mechanical; its tread is elephantine; its vocal chords match its tread—for this doll can talk—and bawl— and bellow.
From Time Magazine Archive
From the bunk above Seaman Ward's issued the stertorous breathing of a 250-lb. shipmate, also slumbering.
From Time Magazine Archive
A cheap space heater is "a wattage hog with a stertorous fan and a grinning orange mouth."
From Time Magazine Archive
And then Lucy’s breathing became stertorous again, and all at once it ceased.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
