-itis

See also: itis, and -ītis

English

Etymology

From New Latin -itis, from Ancient Greek -ῖτις (-îtis, “pertaining to”). This is the feminine form of adjectival suffix -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs). The English suffix derives from the feminine form due to its use with the feminine noun νόσος (nósos, “disease”), particularly with ἀρθρῖτις (νόσος) (arthrîtis (nósos), “disease of the joints”) (one of the earliest English borrowings from which the suffix was extracted and abstracted). Humorous sense by generalization.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-ˈaɪtɪs/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Suffix

-itis (usually uncountable, plural sometimes -itides or rarely -itises)

1. (pathology) Suffix denoting diseases characterized by inflammation, itself often caused by an infection.
2. (humorous) Used to form the names of various fictitious afflictions or diseases.
   • What to Do About Senioritis: Make Your Senior Year Count, College Board. Accessed April 4, 2008.

Usage notes

While most of the derived terms theoretically have plurals in -itides (from the Ancient Greek -ῑ́τῐδες (-ī́tides), plural of -ῖτῐς (-îtis)), -itises (the regularized English plural), or both, these forms are rarely used, as the derived terms are mass nouns, so their plurals are called for only when referring to types. For example, hepatitides or hepatitises as "types of hepatitis" have some currency in the medical literature, but most other such plurals do not. There is a tendency in formal writing to prefer the classical suffix (when a plural is invoked at all); a typical example is that for the plural of arthritis referring to various types of arthritis, only arthritides is standard.

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -itis

pathology: diseases characterized by inflammation

• adenitis (inflammation of the adenoids)
• adnexitis
• alveolitis (inflammation of the alveoli)
• angiitis
• apocrinitis
• appendicitis (inflammation of the appendix)
• arthritis
• balanitis
• blepharitis (inflammation of the eye)
• bronchiolitis
• bronchitis
• bronchoalveolitis
• bronchopneumonitis
• bursitis
• cellulitis
• cholangitis
• cholecystitis
• colitis
• conjunctivitis (inflammation of the conjunctiva)
• cystitis
• dermatitis (inflammation of the skin)
• diverticulitis
• encephalitis
• endocarditis
• endocervicitis
• enteritis
• enterocolitis
• epicondylitis
• epididymitis
• esophagitis
• fibrositis
• folliculitis
• gastritis
• gastroenteritis
• gingivitis
• glomerulonephritis
• glossitis
• hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
• ileitis
• iridocyclitis
• iritis
• keratitis
• keratoconjunctivitis
• laryngitis
• leptomeningitis
• lymphangitis (inflammation of the lymph glands)
• mastitis
• mastoiditis
• meningitis
• myocarditis
• myositis
• nephritis
• neuritis
• neurodermatitis
• odontobothritis
• oesophagitis
• oophoritis
• orchitis
• osteoarthritis
• osteomyelitis
• otitis
• pachymeningitis
• pancreatitis
• panniculitis
• papillitis
• parotiditis
• parotitis
• pelvitis
• periarthritis
• pericarditis
• peritonitis
• pharyngitis
• phlebitis
• plantar fasciitis
• poliomyelitis
• polyarthritis
• polyneuritis
• proctitis
• prostatitis
• pyelitis
• pyelonephritis
• retinitis
• rhinitis
• rhinopharyngitis
• salpingitis
• sinusitis
• spondylitis
• stomatitis
• synovitis
• tendinitis
• tenosynovitis
• thrombophlebitis
• thyroiditis
• tonsillitis
• tracheitis
• urethritis
• uveitis
• vaginitis
• vasculitis
• vulvovaginitis

 

humorous: fictional diseases

• Americanitis
• computeritis
• egoitis
• featuritis
• imaginitis
• lazyitis
• meetingitis
• Mondayitis
• Oblomovitis
• senioritis
• sequelitis
• teleportitis

 

Descendants

• itis

Translations

suffix denoting diseases characterized by inflammation

• Ancient Greek: -ιτις (-itis)
• Bulgarian: -и́т m (-ít)
• Catalan: -itis (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: -炎 (zh) (-yán)

• Czech: -itida f
• Dutch: -itis (nl)
• Esperanto: -ito (eo)
• Finnish: -iitti
• French: -ite (fr) f
• Galician: -ite (gl) f
• German: -itis (de) f
• Hungarian: -gyulladás (hu)
• Interlingua: -itis
• Irish: -íteas m
• Italian: -ite (it) f
• Japanese: -炎 (-en)
• Korean: 염 (ko) (-yeom)
• Latin: -itis f
• Malay: radang, -itis
• Portuguese: -ite (pt) f
• Romanian: -ită f
• Russian: -и́т (ru) m (-ít)
• Spanish: -itis (es) f
• Swedish: -it (sv)

suffix denoting fictitious afflictions or diseases

• Russian: -и́т (ru) m (-ít)
• Spanish: -itis (es) f

Further reading

• English dictionary of medical terms

Anagrams

• IIST, IITs, SITI, is it

Catalan

Etymology

From New Latin -ītis, from Ancient Greek -ῖτις (-îtis).

Suffix

-itis f (noun-forming suffix, invariable)

1. (pathology) -itis

Derived terms

Catalan terms suffixed with -itis

Further reading

• “-itis” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “-itis”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “-itis” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.

German

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

Suffix

-itis f

1. -itis

Derived terms

German terms suffixed with -itis

Interlingua

Etymology

Borrowed from English -itis, French -itis, Italian -ite, Portuguese -ite/Spanish -itis, Russian -ит (-it), all ultimately from New Latin -itis, from Ancient Greek -ῖτις (-îtis).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈitis/

Suffix

-itis

1. forms nouns from nouns, denoting an inflammitory disease; -itis

   ‎appendice (“appendix”) + ‎-itis → ‎appendicitis (“appendicitis”)

   ‎esophago (“oesophagus”) + ‎-itis → ‎esophagitis (“oesophagitis”)

   ‎larynge (“larynx”) + ‎-itis → ‎laryngitis (“laryngitis”)

Derived terms

Category Interlingua terms suffixed with -itis not found

References

• Alexander Gode, Hugh E. Blair (1955) Interlingua: A Grammar of the International Language, →ISBN

Latin

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek -ῖτις (-îtis, “pertaining to”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈiː.tis/, [ˈiːt̪ɪs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈi.tis/, [ˈiːt̪is]

Suffix

-ītis f (genitive -ītidis); third declension

1. (New Latin, pathology) -itis (suffix denoting diseases characterized by inflammation, itself often caused by an infection)

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	-ītis	-ītidēs
genitive	-ītidis	-ītidum
dative	-ītidī	-ītidibus
accusative	-ītidem	-ītidēs
ablative	-ītide	-ītidibus
vocative	-ītis	-ītidēs

Derived terms

Latin terms suffixed with -itis

Etymology 2

See -ītēs.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈiː.tiːs/, [ˈiːt̪iːs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈi.tis/, [ˈiːt̪is]

Suffix

-ītīs

1. dative/ablative plural of -ītēs

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin -ītis, from Ancient Greek -ῖτις (-îtis, “pertaining to”).

Suffix

-itis f (noun-forming suffix, plural -itis)

1. (pathology) -itis (denotes diseases characterized by inflammation, itself often caused by an infection)
2. (humorous) -itis (forms the names of various fictitious afflictions or diseases)

Derived terms

Spanish terms suffixed with -itis

Further reading

• “-itis”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28