Sternutation
Noun
- The action of sneezing.
Example Sentences
“Ms. Franklin was trying to speak, but she was caught in a fit of sternutation.”
“I spend half my time in the attic in sternutation thanks to the decades of dust up there.”
“Chantal was incapacitated by a fit of sternutation the moment she entered the perfume shop.”
Word Origin
Latin, mid-16th century
Why this word?
A single sternutation (sneeze) can travel more than 100 mph with a range of up to 5 feet. “Sternutation” is from the Latin “sternūtātiō,” meaning “sneezing.” Sternutation has many common causes — dust, pollen, pet hair, cold air, spicy foods, colds and flus — but there are also a variety of less common factors that may provoke a spell of sternutation. Some people sneeze after plucking their eyebrows, and others sneeze while exercising or after particularly heavy meals.