Hepatitis
/ˌhɛpəˈtaɪtɪs/noun
Inflammation of the liver, usually caused by infection, toxins, or autoimmune disease.
Did you know?The medical ending -itis is Greek for “inflammation,” and it shows up in hundreds of disease names, turning ancient language into a clinical alarm system.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
hēpar, hēpat-
“liver”
Ancient Greek
Greek
-itis
“inflammation or inflammatory disease”
Late Latin
Latin
hepatitis
“inflammation of the liver”
Middle English
English
hepatitis
“a medical term for liver inflammation”
Modern English
English
hepatitis
“inflammation of the liver, especially from viral infection”