Meanings
- uncountablemedicineDiabetes mellitus; any of a group of metabolic diseases whereby a person (or other animal) has high blood sugar due to an inability to produce, or inability to metabolize, sufficient quantities of the hormone insulin.First known use 19th c.
In the UK, one in 10 people over 40 live with type 2 diabetes, while one in four have high blood pressure, a condition described as a “silent killer” because it increases the risk of heart attack and stroke but rarely causes symptoms beforehand.
2020 September 7, Ian Sample, The GuardianSynonyms: diabetes mellitus, DM, diabeetus
- humorousslanguncountableAny food or beverage with a high amount of sugar.
This milkshake is pure diabetes, as my friends and I agreed on as a joke when we first came to Black Tap.
2017 August 6, “The craziest things you have to eat in New York City”, in Silver Stories - uncountableDiabetes insipidus; any condition characterized by excessive or incontinent urine, now specifically as caused by impaired production of, or response to, the antidiuretic hormone vasopressin.First known use 15th c.
A Sheeps or Goats bladder being burnt, and the ashes given inwardly, helps the Diabetes, or continuall pissing.
1649, Nicholas Culpeper, The Physical Directory1 more example
The lady laboured under a Diabetes, in consequence of having used the waters injudiciously for another complaint; and, that she might not be an impediment to the carriage, by ordering it to halt,as often as she should have occasion to disembogue, she had provided herself with a leathern contrivance […].
1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
nounDiabetes mellitus; any of a group of metabolic diseases whereby a person (or other animal) has high blood sugar due to an inability to produce, or inability to metabolize, sufficient quantities of the hormone insulin.
Origin
- Ancient Greekδιαβαίνω“to pass through”
- Ancient Greekδιαβήτης
- Latindiabētēs“siphon”
- Englishdiabetes
From Latin diabētēs (“siphon”), from Ancient Greek διαβήτης (diabḗtēs), from Ancient Greek διαβαίνω (diabaínō, “to pass through”).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek δίψακος
- δίψακος (dípsakos)A group of metabolic diseases
Arabic سُكَّرِيّ, دِيَابِيطَا
- سُكَّرِيّ (sukkariyy)A group of metabolic diseases
- دِيَابِيطَا (diyābīṭā)A group of metabolic diseases
Bulgarian диабе́т
- диабе́т (diabét)A group of metabolic diseases
Catalan diabetis
- diabetisA group of metabolic diseases
Chinese Cantonese 糖尿病
- 糖尿病 (tong⁴ niu⁶ beng⁶)A group of metabolic diseases
Chinese Mandarin 糖尿病
- 糖尿病 (tángniàobìng)A group of metabolic diseases
Czech cukrovka
- cukrovkaA group of metabolic diseases
Danish sukkersyge, diabetes
- sukkersygeA group of metabolic diseases
- diabetesA group of metabolic diseases
Dutch diabetes, suikerziekte
- diabetesA group of metabolic diseases
- suikerziekteA group of metabolic diseases
Esperanto diabeto
- diabetoA group of metabolic diseases
Estonian suhkurtõbi
- suhkurtõbiA group of metabolic diseases
Finnish diabetes, sokeritauti
- diabetesA group of metabolic diseases
- sokeritautiA group of metabolic diseases
French diabète
- diabèteA group of metabolic diseases
German Diabetes, Zuckerkrankheit
- DiabetesA group of metabolic diseases
- ZuckerkrankheitA group of metabolic diseases
- ZuckerA group of metabolic diseases
Greek διαβήτης, ζάχαρο
- διαβήτης (diavítis)A group of metabolic diseases
- ζάχαρο (zácharo)A group of metabolic diseases
Hebrew סוכרת, סֻכֶּרֶת
- סוכרתA group of metabolic diseases
- סֻכֶּרֶת (sukéret)A group of metabolic diseases
Hindi मधुमेह
- मधुमेह (madhumeh)A group of metabolic diseases
Hungarian cukorbetegség, diabétesz
- cukorbetegségA group of metabolic diseases
- diabéteszA group of metabolic diseases
- cukorbajA group of metabolic diseases
Icelandic sykursýki
- sykursýkiA group of metabolic diseases
Indonesian kencing manis, diabetes
- kencing manisA group of metabolic diseases
- diabetesA group of metabolic diseases
Italian diabete
- diabeteA group of metabolic diseases
Japanese 糖尿病
- 糖尿病 (tōnyōbyō)A group of metabolic diseases
Korean 당뇨병
- 당뇨병 (dangnyobyeong)A group of metabolic diseases
Malay kencing manis
- kencing manisA group of metabolic diseases
Māori mate hukatoto, mate huka
- mate hukatotoA group of metabolic diseases
- mate hukaA group of metabolic diseases
Norwegian Bokmål diabetes, sukkersyke
- diabetesA group of metabolic diseases
- sukkersykeA group of metabolic diseases
Persian مرض قند, بیماری قند
- مرض قند (maraz-e qand)A group of metabolic diseases
- بیماری قند (bimâri-ye qand)A group of metabolic diseases
- دیابت (diyâbet)A group of metabolic diseases
Polish cukrzyca
- cukrzycaA group of metabolic diseases
Portuguese diabetes, diabete
- diabetesA group of metabolic diseases
- diabeteA group of metabolic diseases
Romanian diabet
- diabetA group of metabolic diseases
Russian диабе́т
- диабе́т (diabét)A group of metabolic diseases
Scottish Gaelic tinneas an t-siùcair, galar-fuail
- tinneas an t-siùcairA group of metabolic diseases
- galar-fuailA group of metabolic diseases
- ruith-fhuailA group of metabolic diseases
Slovak cukrovka
- cukrovkaA group of metabolic diseases
Spanish diabetes, diábetis
- diabetesA group of metabolic diseases
- diábetisA group of metabolic diseases
- diabetisA group of metabolic diseases
Swahili kisukari
- kisukariA group of metabolic diseases
Swedish diabetes
- diabetesA group of metabolic diseases
Tagalog diyabetes
- diyabetesA group of metabolic diseases
Tamil நீரிழிவு, நீரிழிவு நோய்
- நீரிழிவு (nīriḻivu)A group of metabolic diseases
- நீரிழிவு நோய் (nīriḻivu nōy)A group of metabolic diseases
- சர்க்கரை நோய் (carkkarai nōy)A group of metabolic diseases
Thai เบาหวาน
- เบาหวาน (bao-wǎan)A group of metabolic diseases
Turkish diyabet, şeker hastalığı
- diyabetA group of metabolic diseases
- şeker hastalığıA group of metabolic diseases
Ukrainian діабе́т
- діабе́т (diabét)A group of metabolic diseases
Urdu ذیابیطس, شوگر
- ذیابیطس (ziyābītas)A group of metabolic diseases
- شوگر (śugar)A group of metabolic diseases
- ذیابیطس شکری (ziyābītas-e-śakrī)A group of metabolic diseases
Vietnamese đái tháo đường, tiểu đường
- đái tháo đườngA group of metabolic diseases
- tiểu đườngA group of metabolic diseases
Welsh dibetes, clefyd siwgr
- dibetesA group of metabolic diseases
- clefyd siwgrA group of metabolic diseases
Cite this entry
diabetes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diabetes
“diabetes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diabetes. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “diabetes,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diabetes.
Source: diabetes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.