Pneumonia
/njuːˈmoʊniə/noun
An infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs, which may fill with fluid or pus.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek pneúmōn, “lung,” ultimately tied to pneûma, “breath” or “spirit,” so this illness was named from the same ancient root that could mean both air and life-force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pnew-
“to breathe”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πνεύμων (pneúmōn)
“lung”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πνευμονία (pneumonía)
“a lung disease, inflammation of the lungs”
Late Latin
Latin
pneumonia
“pneumonia, inflammation of the lungs”
Middle English / Early Modern English
English
pneumonia
“an inflammatory lung disease”