meningitis

noun men·in·gi·tis \ˌme-nən-ˈjī-təs\

medical : a serious and often deadly disease in which an outside layer of the brain or spinal cord becomes infected and swollen

plural men·in·git·i·des\-ˈji-tə-ˌdēz\

Full Definition of MENINGITIS

: inflammation of the meninges and especially of the pia mater and the arachnoid

: a disease marked by inflammation of the meninges that is either a relatively mild illness caused by a virus (as various Coxsackie viruses) or a more severe life-threatening illness caused by a bacterium (as the meningococcus)

— men·in·git·ic \-ˈji-tik\ adjective

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Origin of MENINGITIS

New Latin

First Known Use: 1824

Rhymes with MENINGITIS

adenitis, arteritis, cellulitis, dermatitis, enteritis, gingivitis, hepatitis, Heracleitus, ileitis, keratitis, laryngitis, myelitis, pharyngitis, pneumonitis, Polyclitus, prostatitis, retinitis, sinusitis, tonsillitis, spondylitis, tendinitis, urethritis, vaginitis

Medical Dictionary

meningitis

noun men·in·gi·tis \ˌmen-ən-ˈjīt-əs\

plural men·in·git·i·des \-ˈjit-ə-ˌdēz\

Medical Definition of MENINGITIS

: inflammation of the meninges and especially of the pia mater and the arachnoid

: a disease that may be either a mild illness caused by any of numerous viruses (as various coxsackieviruses) or a more severe usually life-threatening illness caused by a bacterium (especially the meningococcus or the serotype designated B of Hemophilus influenzae), that may be associated with fever, headache, vomiting, malaise, and stiff neck, and that if untreated in bacterial forms may progress to confusion, stupor, convulsions, coma, and death