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

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

Spinal stenosis limits her mobility, necessitating the walkers and wheelchairs and considerable help from her husband, Dennis, who serves as her primary caregiver. —Paula Span, Miami Herald, 15 Dec. 2025

Sawyer, a former police officer, suffers from degenerative spinal stenosis. —Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Nov. 2025

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