Glossary of Communication Disorder Terms

Odorant: substance that stimulates the sense of smell.
Olfaction: the act of smelling.
Olfactometer: device for estimating the intensity of the sense of smell.
Open-set speech recognition: understanding speech without visual clues (speech reading).
Otitis externa: inflammation of the outer part of the ear extending to the auditory canal.
Otitis media: inflammation of the middle ear caused by infection.
Otoacoustic emissions: low-intensity sounds produced by the inner ear that can be quickly measured with a sensitive microphone placed in the ear canal.
Otolaryngologist: physician/surgeon who specializes in diseases of the ears, nose, throat, and head and neck.
Otologist: physician/surgeon who specializes in diseases of the ear.
Otosclerosis: abnormal growth of bone of the inner ear. This bone prevents structures within the ear from working properly and causes hearing loss. For some people with otosclerosis, the hearing loss may become severe.
Ototoxic drugs: drugs such as a special class of antibiotics, aminoglycoside antibiotics, that can damage the hearing and balance organs located in the inner ear for some individuals.
Outer ear: external portion of the ear, consisting of the pinna, or auricle, and the ear canal.