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Vertigo

Medical Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A sensation of spinning or dizziness often linked to inner ear disturbance. In poetry it can symbolise disorientation or the overwhelming vastness of experience.

Detailed Definition
Vertigo is a condition in which a person feels as though the surrounding world is spinning or tilting. The sensation can arise from inner ear disorders or neurological disturbances. In literature vertigo provides a vivid metaphor for psychological or existential disorientation. Poets often use the term to describe the dizzying effect of great heights, powerful emotions, or philosophical reflection that destabilises ordinary perception.
Example
Example in poetry:
The height caused a sudden attack of vertigo; Poets describe vertigo as a spinning world; She felt a sense of vertigo on the cliff edge; The disease affected his balance causing vertigo; He wrote of the vertigo of modern life; Vertigo is a sensation of whirling and loss of balance.
Additional Notes
Vertigo refers to spinning dizziness. In poetry it symbolises disorientation or the unsettling experience of confronting vast heights, emotions, or ideas.
Also Known As
Dizziness Giddiness
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