arthritis

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UK/ɑːˈθɹ(a)ɪtɪs/Canada, US/ɑɹˈθɹ(a)ɪtɪs/Canada, US[ɑɹˈθɹ(a)ɪɾɪs]Australia/ɐːˈθɹ(ɑ)ɪtɪs/

noun

Inflammation of a joint or joints causing pain and/or disability, swelling and stiffness, and due to various causes such as infection, trauma, degenerative changes or metabolic disorders: any of several disease entities.

Meanings

nounarthritis (countable and uncountable, plural arthritides or arthritises)

plural arthritides · plural arthritises

  1. countableuncountableInflammation of a joint or joints causing pain and/or disability, swelling and stiffness, and due to various causes such as infection, trauma, degenerative changes or metabolic disorders: any of several disease entities.

    The suppurating osteo-myelitis and arthritis did not assume a form sufficiently putrid to cause purulent infection; the patient also escaped hecticity;

    1878, L[éon Athanese] Gosselin, “I. Hyperostosis of Right Femur. II. Necrosis of Left Tibia.”, in Lewis A. Stimson, transl., Clinical Lectures on Surgery, Delivered at the Hospital of La Charité, Philadelphia, Pa.: Henry C. Lea, part I (Surgical Diseases of Youth), page 42
    2 more examples

    She identified the dry grasp and the finger joints (both the Simpsons were dry-handed, and in the early stages of arthritis, so Dr Simpson had diagnosed).

    2012, Patrick White, The Cockatoos: Shorter Novels and Stories, →ISBN

    Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), often referred to by doctors today as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), is a type of arthritis that causes joint inflammation and stiffness for more than six weeks in a child aged 16 or younger. It affects approximately 50,000 children in the United States. Inflammation causes redness, swelling, warmth, and soreness in the joints, although many children with JRA do not complain of joint pain.

    2024 September 6, David Zelman, “Understanding Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis -- the Basics”, in WebMD

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἀρθρῖτις“joint-disease, gout”
  2. Latinarthrītis
  3. Englisharthritis

From Latin arthrītis, from Ancient Greek ἀρθρῖτις (arthrîtis, “joint-disease, gout”), from ἄρθρον (árthron, “a joint”). By surface analysis, arthr- + -itis.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans artritis
  • artritisinflammation of a joint
Ancient Greek ἀρθρῖτις
  • ἀρθρῖτις (arthrîtis)inflammation of a joint
Arabic اِلْتِهَاب الْمَفَاصِل
  • اِلْتِهَاب الْمَفَاصِل (iltihāb al-mafāṣil)inflammation of a joint
Bengali বাত
  • বাত (bat)inflammation of a joint
Bulgarian артри́т
  • артри́т (artrít)inflammation of a joint
Catalan artritis
  • artritisinflammation of a joint
Chinese Cantonese 關節炎 /关节炎
  • 關節炎 /关节炎 (gwaan¹ zit³ jim⁴)inflammation of a joint
Chinese Mandarin 關節炎 /关节炎
  • 關節炎 /关节炎 (guānjiéyán)inflammation of a joint
Czech artritida
  • artritidainflammation of a joint
Danish gigt, ledbetændelse
  • gigtinflammation of a joint
  • ledbetændelseinflammation of a joint
Dutch gewrichtsontsteking, artritis
  • gewrichtsontstekinginflammation of a joint
  • artritisinflammation of a joint
Esperanto artrito
  • artritoinflammation of a joint
Finnish niveltulehdus, nivelreuma
  • niveltulehdusinflammation of a joint
  • nivelreumainflammation of a joint
French arthrite
  • arthriteinflammation of a joint
German Arthritis, Gelenkentzündung
  • Arthritisinflammation of a joint
  • Gelenkentzündunginflammation of a joint
Greek αρθρίτιδα
  • αρθρίτιδα (arthrítida)inflammation of a joint
Hebrew דלקת מפרקים
  • דלקת מפרקים (daléket mifrakím)inflammation of a joint
Hindi गठिया, संधि शोथ
  • गठिया (gaṭhiyā)inflammation of a joint
  • संधि शोथ (sandhi śoth)inflammation of a joint
Hungarian ízületi gyulladás, artritisz
  • ízületi gyulladásinflammation of a joint
  • artritiszinflammation of a joint
  • arthritisinflammation of a joint
Icelandic gigt, liðbólga
  • gigtinflammation of a joint
  • liðbólgainflammation of a joint
Irish airtríteas
  • airtríteasinflammation of a joint
Italian artrite
  • artriteinflammation of a joint
Japanese 関節炎
  • 関節炎 (kansetsuen)inflammation of a joint
Korean 관절염
  • 관절염 (gwanjeoryeom)inflammation of a joint
Latin podagra, cheragra
  • podagrainflammation of a joint
  • cheragrainflammation of a joint
  • arthritisinflammation of a joint
Malay radang sendi, artritis
  • radang sendiinflammation of a joint
  • artritisinflammation of a joint
Māori kaikōiwi, mate pona kakā
  • kaikōiwiinflammation of a joint
  • mate pona kakāinflammation of a joint
Norwegian artritt, leddgikt
  • artrittinflammation of a joint
  • leddgiktinflammation of a joint
  • leddbetennelseinflammation of a joint
Polish artretyzm, zapalenie stawów
  • artretyzminflammation of a joint
  • zapalenie stawówinflammation of a joint
Portuguese artrite
  • artriteinflammation of a joint
Punjabi ਗਠੀਆ
  • ਗਠੀਆ (gaṭhīā)inflammation of a joint
Romanian artrită, artroză
  • artrităinflammation of a joint
  • artrozăinflammation of a joint
Russian артри́т
  • артри́т (artrít)inflammation of a joint
Slovak artritída
  • artritídainflammation of a joint
Spanish artritis
  • artritisinflammation of a joint
Swahili jongo
  • jongoinflammation of a joint
Swedish ledinflammation, artrit
  • ledinflammationinflammation of a joint
  • artritinflammation of a joint
Tagalog magansugpong
  • magansugponginflammation of a joint
Tamil மூட்டழற்சி
  • மூட்டழற்சி (mūṭṭaḻaṟci)inflammation of a joint
Thai ข้ออักเสบ
  • ข้ออักเสบ (kɔ̂ɔ-àk-sèep)inflammation of a joint
Turkish artrit, eklem iltihabı
  • artritinflammation of a joint
  • eklem iltihabıinflammation of a joint
Ukrainian артри́т
  • артри́т (artrýt)inflammation of a joint
Vietnamese viêm khớp
  • viêm khớpinflammation of a joint
Welsh gwynegon
  • gwynegoninflammation of a joint
Cite this entry
APA

arthritis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arthritis

MLA

“arthritis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arthritis. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “arthritis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arthritis.

Source: arthritis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.