Colpitis
/kɒlˈpaɪtɪs/noun
Inflammation of the vagina.
Did you know?The root behind colpitis is Ancient Greek κόλπος, a word that could mean both a hollow or fold and the bosom or womb-like cavity—an anatomical metaphor preserved in medical language.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“To cover, conceal, or enclose; a proposed ancestral root associated with hollows and covered spaces.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κόλπος (kolpos)
“A fold, hollow, gulf, bosom, or enclosed cavity.”
19th Century
New Latin
colp-
“Medical combining form meaning vagina, derived from Greek kolpos.”
19th Century
New Latin
-itis
“Inflammation; a medical suffix from Greek -îtis.”
Modern English
English
colpitis
“Inflammation of the vagina.”
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