Origin of the Word Tinnitus

Tinnitus, from the Latin word “tinnire”, meaning to ring or tinkle like a bell, is a hearing ailment that affects over 35 million Americans.

The word tinnitus is derived from the word tintinnabulation, which designates the ringing, jingling, or tinkling of bells. The English dictionary may have had the word tinnitus as early as 1685.

No doubt that tinnitus (ringing in the ear) is an ailment that has affected people since the beginning of mankind.
Most all tinnitus is a subjective sensation that can be heard by no one other than the sufferer.

There is rarely a cure for tinnitus however a proper hearing examination by an audiologist and an ear doctor can sometimes identify a treatable pathology.

If treatment cannot reverse tinnitus then the only option is to learn to live with it or suppress it with hearing aids or some other electronic device.

My tinnitus sound like a tea pot whistling. Over the years I have learned to ignore it and my hearing aid definitely suppresses it.