Standard Lemma guide

vertigo

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈvɜːtɪɡəʊ/
  • General-American: /ˈvɝtɪɡoʊ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: V ER1 T IH0 G OW2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A sensation of whirling and loss of balance, caused by looking down from a great height or by disease affecting the inner ear.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A disordered or imbalanced state of mind or things analogous to physical vertigo; mental giddiness or dizziness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The act of whirling round and round; rapid rotation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A snail of the genus Vertigo.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dizziness, giddiness, lightheadedness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: symptom

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wert- Proto-Indo-European *wértetor Proto-Italic *wertō Latin vertō Latin -īgō Latin vertīgōbor. English vertigo Borrowed from Latin vertīgō.

Across languages

Translations

58 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: دَوْخَة (dawḵa) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Arabic: دُوَار (duwār) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Arabic: سَدَر (sadar) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Arabic: سَدَارَة (sadāra) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Armenian: գլխապտույտ (glxaptuyt) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Bulgarian: шемет (šemet) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Bulgarian: замайване (zamajvane) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Bulgarian: световъртеж (svetovǎrtež) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 頭暈 /头晕 (tóuyūn) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 眩暈 /眩晕 (xuànyùn) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 頭昏 /头昏 (tóuhūn) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Czech: závrať — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Danish: svimmelhed — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Dutch: duizeligheid — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Esperanto: vertigo — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Faroese: svimbul — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Finnish: huimaus — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • French: vertige — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • French: labyrinthite — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Galician: vertixe — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Georgian: ბრუ (bru) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Georgian: თავბრუ (tavbru) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Georgian: თავბრუდასხმა (tavbrudasxma) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Georgian: თავბრუსხვევა (tavbrusxveva) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • German: Schwindel — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Greek: ίλιγγος (ílingos) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Greek: ζαλάδα (zaláda) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Greek: ζάλη (záli) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Ancient Greek: ἴλιγξ (ílinx) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Hindi: चक्कर (cakkar) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Hungarian: szédülés — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Icelandic: svimi — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Italian: vertigine — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Japanese: 目眩 (memai) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Japanese: くらくら (kurakura) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Kazakh: бас айналу (bas ainalu) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Korean: 현기증 (hyeon'gijeung) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Macedonian: вртоглавица (vrtoglavica) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Māori: puano — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Norwegian: vertigo, svimmelhet — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Persian: سرگیجه (sargije) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Polish: zawroty głowy — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Portuguese: oura — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Portuguese: tontura — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Portuguese: vertigem — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Russian: головокруже́ние (golovokružénije) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Serbo-Croatian: вртоглавица — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Serbo-Croatian: vrtoglavica — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Slovak: závrat — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Spanish: vértigo — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Spanish: mareo — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Swedish: svindel, yrsel — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Tagalog: lula — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Tocharian B: waipalau — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Ottoman Turkish: طولاب (dolab) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Urdu: چکر (cakkar) — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Vietnamese: chóng mặt — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
  • Welsh: pendro — sensation of whirling and loss of balance
Real reading context

vertigo in complete knowledge articles