Word of the Day

Saturday, February 11, 2006

stertorous

\STUR-tuh-ruhs\ , adjective;

Characterized by a heavy snoring or gasping sound; hoarsely breathing.

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Quotes:

In the cinder-block motel room he set the alarm, but his own stertorous breathing woke him before it rang.

-- E. Annie Proulx, "The Half-Skinned Steer", The Atlantic, November 1997

As pianist Dezso Ranki pounds and weaves at the keys, his breathing is at times so stertorous one could swear that someone in the audience is snoring.

-- Josie Glausiusz, "Joining Hands", Discover, July 2000

Origin:

Stertorous derives from Latin stertere, "to snore."