Definition of "tinnitus" []

• A sound in one ear or both ears, such as buzzing, ringing, or whistling, occurring without an external stimulus and usually caused by a specific condition, such as an ear infection, the use of certain drugs, a blocked auditory tube or canal, or a head injury. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The word tinnitus comes from the Latin for ringing, and people hear noises ringing, buzzing, whistling in one or both ears, or in their heads."
• "I forget you are deaf Flo, my tinnitus is a constant nuisance."
• "The columnist states that tinnitus is caused by exposure to loud noise."