Gout
/ɡuːt/noun
A painful form of inflammatory arthritis caused by uric acid crystal buildup in the joints.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin gutta, meaning “a drop,” because medieval medicine blamed the illness on harmful drops of bodily fluid falling into the joints.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
gutta
“a drop”
Late Latin
Late Latin
gutta podagrae
“the ‘drop’ of podagra, the gout affecting the foot”
Old French
Old French
goute
“gout; also a drop”
Middle English
English
goute
“gout, especially in the feet”
Modern English
English
gout
“a painful inflammatory arthritis”