Ethmoiditis
/ˌɛθ.mɔɪˈdaɪ.tɪs/noun
Inflammation of the ethmoid sinus or ethmoid bone region, usually due to infection.
Did you know?The medical root ethmoid comes from Greek ethmoeidēs, meaning “sieve-like,” because the ethmoid bone is full of tiny openings—an anatomical image, not a magical one, though it sounds eerily occult.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἠθμοειδής (ēthmoeidḗs)
“sieve-like; perforated like a sieve”
New Latin
Latin
ethmoid-
“a medical anatomical term for the sieve-like bone in the skull”
Modern Medical Latin
Latin
-itis
“inflammation”
19th Century
English
ethmoiditis
“inflammation of the ethmoid region or ethmoid sinus”
Modern English
English
ethmoiditis
“inflammation of the ethmoid bone area, typically from sinus infection”
Explore more surprising origins