How to Pronounce Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Pronunciation
MID-ul EEST RES-pih-rah-tor-ee SIN-drohm
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
MID
stress here
ul EEST RES
pih
rah
tor
ee SIN
drohm
7 syllables
What is Middle East Respiratory Syndrome?
A viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus (MERS-CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012, causing fever, cough, and pneumonia that can progress to respiratory failure. Most cases have been linked to the Middle East.
Questions About Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
How do you pronounce Middle East Respiratory Syndrome?
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Say it like this: MID-ul EEST RES-pih-rah-tor-ee SIN-drohm. Break it into four main parts: "middle," "east," "respiratory," and "syndrome." The stress falls on MID in the first word and RES in the third word, so those syllables sound a bit louder and longer than the others.
Which syllables get the stress when you say this term?
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The first stressed syllable is MID (in "middle"), and the second stressed syllable is RES (in "respiratory"). A common mistake is putting the stress on EAST instead of MID, which makes the term sound choppy and hard to understand.
How do you break Middle East Respiratory Syndrome into syllables?
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Here's the full breakdown: MID-ul / EEST / RES-pih-rah-tor-ee / SIN-drohm. That's about 10 syllables total, which makes it a pretty long term to say all at once.
What does "respiratory" mean in this term?
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Respiratory comes from the word "respire," which means to breathe. So "respiratory" describes anything related to breathing or the lungs and airways.
What does "syndrome" mean?
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A syndrome is a group of signs or conditions that happen together and are connected to the same illness or problem. It's from an ancient Greek word meaning "things running together."
What is the short form or abbreviation for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome?
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The short form is MERS (pronounced like the word "merz"), which stands for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. You might also hear people say "MERS-CoV" (pronounced "merz coe-vee"), which refers to the virus that causes it.
How would you use this term in a sentence?
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Here's an example: "The research team studied samples from patients diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome to better understand how the virus spreads." Notice that the full term is usually used in formal or medical writing, while MERS is used in everyday conversation.
What other medical words share the root 'respiratory'?
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Words like "respiratory system," "respiratory infection," and "respiratory therapist" all use the same root word. They all relate to breathing and the organs involved in respiration.