GC: n

S: WebMD – https://www.webmd.com/brain/vertigo-symptoms-causes-treatment (last access: 17 April 2024); NHS – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vertigo/ (last access: 14 April 2024).

N: 1. Early 15c., from Latin vertigo “dizziness, sensation of whirling,” originally “a whirling or spinning movement,” from vertere “to turn” (from PIE root *wer- (2) “to turn, bend”).

2. There are two types of vertigo, peripheral and central vertigo. Peripheral vertigo is due to a problem in the part of the inner ear that controls balance. These areas are called the vestibular labyrinth or semicircular canals. The problem may also involve the vestibular nerve. This is the nerve between the inner ear and the brain stem. Central vertigo is due to a problem in the brain, usually in the brain stem or the back part of the brain (cerebellum). The main symptom is a sensation that you or the room is moving or spinning. The spinning sensation may cause nausea and vomiting.

3. Vertigo is medically distinct from dizziness, lightheadedness, and unsteadiness in that vertigo involves the sensation of movement. Vertigo may be described as a feeling that one is spinning around, known as subjective vertigo, or the feeling of rotation of the surrounding environment, known as objective vertigo.

4. Collocations:

• Noun + noun: cause (of), symptom.
• Verb + noun: to cause, to give, to suffer (from), to treat.

5. Cultural interrelation: We can mention the American psychological thriller film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1958, Vertigo, in which the main character suffers from acrophobia and vertigo. Moreover, we can make reference to the U2 song Vertigo, released in 2004 and contained in the album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.

S: 1. OED – https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=vertigo (last access: last access: 14 April 2024). 2. MEDLP – https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001432.htm (last access: 17 April 2024). 3. MN – https://www.medicinenet.com/dizziness_causes_symptoms_and_treatment/article.htm (last access. 17 April 2024). 4. NHS – http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vertigo/Pages/Introduction.aspx (last access: 28 October 2016). 5. IMDb – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052357/goofs/ (last access: 17 April 2024); TRR – https://therockreview.net/u2-how-to-dismantle-an-atomic-bomb-eng/ (last access: 17 April 2024).

SYN:
S:

CR: acrophobia, agoraphobia, dizziness, motion sickness, otitis.