How to Pronounce Expiratory Stridor

Say it like this: ek-SPY-rah-tor-ee STRY-dor. The stress falls on the second syllable of the first word (SPY) and the first syllable of the second word (STRY). Think of "expire" (to breathe out) with an extra ending, then "stridor" rhymes with "rider."

Expiratory comes from the word "expire," which means to breathe out or exhale. In medical terms, expiratory always refers to something that happens when you're breathing air OUT of your lungs, not breathing it in.

Stridor is a medical word for noisy or whistling breathing sounds. It's pronounced STRY-dor, with the stress on the first syllable. The word comes from Latin and originally just meant "a harsh sound."

Break it like this: ex-SPIR-ah-tor-ee STRY-dor. That's five syllables for the first word and two for the second word, giving you seven syllables total.

Expiratory (ek-SPY-rah-tor-ee) means during exhalation—breathing OUT. Inspiratory (in-SPIR-ah-tor-ee) means during inhalation—breathing IN. They're opposite actions, so these medical terms describe sounds that happen at different times during the breathing cycle.

There isn't a widely used abbreviation, so it's usually just written or said in full as "expiratory stridor." Medical professionals might shorten it in conversation to just "expiratory" or "stridor" if the context is already clear.

Several words come from the Latin root "spirare" (to breathe): respiration, inspiration, expiration, and perspiration. All of them relate to breathing or the movement of air in and out of the body.

Here's an example: "The doctor heard expiratory stridor when listening to the patient's breathing." This sentence simply describes that a noisy breathing sound was noticed during exhalation.