rheumatism

What it means

1. countableuncountablemedicineAny disorder of the muscles, tendons, joints, bones, nerves, characterized by pain, discomfort and disability.

   Terentia has a severe attack of rheumatism.

   1920, Cicero, translated by Evelyn Shirley Shuckburgh, The Letters of Cicero: The Whole Extant Correspondence in Chronological Order, volume 1 (hardcover), London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd., page 3

   2 more examples

   And then as to your ſcurvys, and gouts, rheumatiſms, conſumptions, coughs and catarrhs, tar-vvater and turpentine vvill make you as ſound as a roach.

   1763 June 20 (first performance), Samuel Foote, The Mayor of Garret. A Comedy, […], London: […] P[aul] Vaillant, […], published 1764, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 4

   The old man had become a confirmed invalid, confined by chronic rheumatism to his chair.

   1874, Wilkie Collins, The Dead Alive

2. countableuncountablemedicineAtrophic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis

In a sentence

And then as to your ſcurvys, and gouts, rheumatiſms, conſumptions, coughs and catarrhs, tar-vvater and turpentine vvill make you as ſound as a roach.

1763 June 20 (first performance), Samuel Foote, The Mayor of Garret. A Comedy, […], London: […] P[aul] Vaillant, […], published 1764, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 4

Where it comes from

1. Ancient Greekῥευματισμός“humour, discharge, rheum”
2. Latinrheumatismus“rheum”
3. Englishrheumatism

First attested 1601, from Latin rheumatismus (“rheum”), from Ancient Greek ῥευματισμός (rheumatismós, “humour, discharge, rheum”) from ῥευματίζομαι (rheumatízomai, “to suffer from a rheum”) from ῥεῦμα (rheûma, “stream, flow”) from ῥέω (rhéō, “to flow”)