meatus noun. [mɪ'eɪtǝs] Pl. -es, same [mɪ'eɪtju:s]. LME.
[Latin, lit. 'passage, course', from meare go, pass.]
1. A channel, a passage. LME-L17.

2. spec. in Anatomy. A tubular passage in the body, esp. the external auditory meatus. Usu. with specifying word. LME.
auditory meatus, external auditory meatus the channel leading into the ear. nasal meatus, olfactory meatus a deep groove in the nasal cavity. urethral meatus, urinary meatus the external orifice of the urethra.

■ meatal adjective M19.

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