amphoric
/æm'fɔrik/
Học thuậtThân thiện
A doctor listens to a patient's chest with a stethoscope and hears an amphoric sound.
Definition
Adjective: - Resembling the sound produced by blowing across the mouth of an empty bottle: In medical contexts, particularly auscultation (listening to body sounds), "amphoric" describes a hollow, echoing sound. - Indicative of a pathological cavity: This sound is often associated with the presence of an abnormal air-filled space in the lung or chest.
Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used in medical diagnosis to describe specific breath sounds heard through a stethoscope.
- It is a technical descriptor for a clinical sign.
Examples
- The physician noted amphoric breath sounds over the upper lobe of the lung.
- An amphoric quality to the respiration suggested a possible pulmonary cavity.
Advanced Usage
- "Amphoric resonance": A hollow, drum-like sound heard when percussing (tapping) over a large pulmonary cavity.
- Percussion revealed an area of amphoric resonance.
- The adjective is derived from , a type of tall ancient Greek or Roman jar with two handles and a narrow neck.
Variants and Related Words
- Amphora (noun): The type of jar from which the sound description originates.
- There are no direct verb or noun forms of "amphoric" itself.
Synonyms
- Hollow-sounding
- Echoing (in this specific medical context)
- Cavernous (when describing breath sounds)
Antonyms
- Normal vesicular (referring to normal, soft breath sounds)
- Dull (referring to a flat sound without resonance on percussion)
Notes
- "Amphoric" is a highly specialized term. Its use outside of medical auscultation is very rare and typically metaphorical, intending to evoke that specific hollow, echoing quality.
- The condition it often indicates, such as a cavity from tuberculosis or a pneumothorax, is serious, making this a significant diagnostic finding.
A doctor listens to a patient's chest with a stethoscope and hears an amphoric sound.
Adjective
- the sound heard in auscultation resembling the hollow sound made by blowing across the mouth of a bottle
- amphoric breathing indicates a cavity in the lung