sternutation means A sneeze; sneezing, especially as a symptom. It carries an Arena rating of 1444, earned across 11 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, sternutation ranks #1,924 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #1,976 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,560 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,719 of 17,163 for Funniest Words.
Why “sternutation” is a great word
The involuntary expulsion of air from the nose and mouth, accompanied by a characteristic explosive sound. From Latin sternūtātiō, sternūtātiōn-, from sternūtāre, a frequentative of sternuere ("to sneeze"), first attested in English in the mid-16th century. Unlike the onomatopoeic "sneeze" or the obsolete, irritant-specific "ptarmosis," sternutation is the formal, clinical designation for the act itself, regardless of cause. It is the body's percussive, convulsive report; the sudden, helpless punctuation of a dusty attic or a ray of sunlight; the brief, violent rebellion of the respiratory tract against an unwelcome guest—a small, somatic insurrection that leaves the world momentarily blurred.
Etymology
Latin sternutatio.
noun
- A sneeze; sneezing, especially as a symptom.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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