: an instrument with lighting and magnifying systems used for visual examination of the tympanic membrane and the canal connecting it to the exterior of the body

Examples of otoscope in a Sentence

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Price: £70 (available for preorder; not available in the United States) Otology Eardrum Inspector The Oto turns an iPhone into an otoscope that uses the phone’s camera to view the eardrum at high magnification. Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 29 May 2015 Once the patient steps in, they’re greeted by a human health care professional on a life-size screen and guided through any number of diagnostic tests with the help of tools like a blood pressure cuff and an otoscope that drops down from the ceiling. Adam Clark Estes, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of otoscope was in 1849

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Cite this Entry

“Otoscope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/otoscope. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

Medical Definition

: an instrument fitted with lighting and magnifying lens systems and used to facilitate visual examination of the auditory canal and eardrum

More from Merriam-Webster on otoscope

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