stenosis

noun

ste·​no·​sis stə-ˈnō-səs 

plural stenoses stə-ˈnō-ˌsēz 

: a narrowing or constriction of the diameter of a bodily passage or orifice

stenotic

stə-ˈnä-tik 

adjective

Examples of stenosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The mother of five, who lives in Kent, England, previously told UK newspaper Metro that as a baby, Daniel experienced breathing difficulties that led to him being diagnosed with the heart condition aortic valve stenosis. —Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026

Spinal stenosis turned Wright into a shadow of his young self. —Jayson Stark, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026

Last summer, DeLauro went for surgery to treat spinal stenosis while Congress was on its month-long August recess. —Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2026

In 2024, she was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, a disease in which the aortic valve narrows and restricts blood flow. —Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek stenōsis act of narrowing, from stenoun to narrow, from stenos narrow

First Known Use

circa 1860, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stenosis

• cirrhosis
• fibrosis
• gliosis
• hypnosis
• ichthyosis
• ketosis
• kurtosis
• lordosis
• meiosis
• miosis
• mitosis
• mycosis

Medical Definition

stenosis

noun

ste·​no·​sis stə-ˈnō-səs 

plural stenoses -ˌsēz 

: a narrowing or constriction of the diameter of a bodily passage or orifice

esophageal stenosis

see aortic stenosis, mitral stenosis, pulmonary stenosis, spinal stenosis, subaortic stenosis