Spondylitis
/ˌspɒn.dɪˈlaɪ.tɪs/noun
Inflammation of the vertebrae, especially of the spine.
Did you know?Spondylitis comes from Greek medical vocabulary, where the root spondyl- refers to a vertebra, showing how modern diagnosis still carries ancient body-language from classical medicine.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
σπόνδυλος (spóndylos)
“vertebra; joint of the backbone”
Late Greek / Medical Latin
Greek/Latin
σπονδυλῖτις (spondylîtis)
“inflammation of the vertebrae”
16th–19th Century
Latin/English
spondylitis
“a medical term for inflammation affecting the spine or vertebrae”
Modern English
English
spondylitis
“inflammation of the vertebrae, especially of the spine”
Explore more surprising origins