First Known Use: 1824
Dictionary
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
1
: inflammation of the meninges and especially of the pia mater and the arachnoid
2
: 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
Rhymes with MENINGITIS
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
1
: inflammation of the meninges and especially of the pia mater and the arachnoid
2
: 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
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