Phalangitis
/ˌfæl.ənˈdʒaɪ.tɪs/noun
Inflammation of a phalanx, especially one of the bones in a finger or toe.
Did you know?The medical suffix -itis comes from Greek and has powered countless diagnosis-words, while phalanx itself originally meant a rigid line or battle formation before anatomy borrowed it for the bones in your fingers.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
phálanx (φάλαγξ)
“A roll, log, beam, or a close-ranked battle line; later used for the bones of the fingers and toes”
Late Greek
Greek
phalángion (φαλάγγιον)
“A finger bone or toe bone”
New Latin
Latin
phalangitis
“Inflammation of a phalanx”
19th Century
English
phalangitis
“A medical term for inflammation of a finger or toe bone”