otalgia, n.

[‘ Pain in the ear; earache.']

Pronunciation: Brit. /əʊˈtaldʒ(ɪ)ə/,  U.S. /oʊˈtældʒə/

Etymology: <  post-classical Latin /otalgia/ earache (a/1549 in Paracelsus) <  Hellenistic Greek /ὠταλγία <  ancient Greek /ὠτο-* oto- comb. form + /-αλγία/ -algia comb. form. Compare Middle French, French /otalgie* (1578).

 /Med./

  Pain in the ear; earache.

1657 /Physical Dict./, /Otalgia/, pain in the ears.

1728  E. Chambers /Cycl./ (at cited word), The Otalgia usually arises from an Inflammation.

1785 /London Pract. Physic/ (ed. 4) vii. 174  (heading) Of the Otalgia, or Ear-ach.

1874  D. B. St. J. Roosa /Dis. Ear/ (ed. 2) 511 The subject of otalgia belongs, strictly speaking, to the middle ear.

1989  J. A. B. Collier  & J. M. Longmore /Oxf. Handbk. Clin. Specialties/ (ed. 2) vii. 556 Tonsillar tumours. Commonest in the elderly, these present with sore throat, dysphagia and otalgia.

2000 /Singapore Med. Jrnl./ *41* 441 The most common presenting symptoms [of squamous cell carcinoma of the external ear canal] were otorrhoea and otalgia.