Orchitis
/ɔːrˈkaɪtɪs/noun
Inflammation of one or both testicles.
Did you know?Orchitis comes from Greek orchis, a word for “testicle,” which later also named the orchid because some species’ paired tubers were thought to resemble them.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Gk
ὄρχις (órkhis)
“testicle; also the orchid plant, from the shape of its tubers”
Late Greek
Gk
-ῖτις (-îtis)
“a suffix used in medical terms meaning inflammation”
Late Latin
Latin
orchitis
“inflammation of the testicle”
16th Century
English
orchitis
“medical term for inflammation of the testicle”
Modern English
English
orchitis
“inflammation of one or both testicles”
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