Mastitis
/mæˈstaɪ.tɪs/noun
Inflammation of breast tissue, often causing pain, swelling, and redness.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek mastós, meaning “breast,” plus the medical suffix -itis, “inflammation,” and it entered English through scientific Latin rather than folklore or magic.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
mastós
“breast, teat”
Late Greek
Greek
mastîtis
“inflammation of the breast”
Medieval Latin
Latin
mastitis
“medical term for breast inflammation”
18th–19th Century
English
mastitis
“clinical term adopted into English medicine”
Modern English
English
mastitis
“inflammation of breast tissue”