Meanings
plural pleurisies
- countableuncountablemedicineInflammation of lung pleura.
And the dope often gave him a painful case of pleurisy if he smoked it for more than two straight days of heavy continuous smoking[…]
1996, David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest […], Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 223 more examples
1829 September, Richard N. Allen, An Essay on Pneumonia Biliosa, Horatio Gates Jameson (editor), The Maryland Medical Recorder, Volume 1, Number 1, page 591, The division of pleurisies now sanctioned by the general language of medical men, is that which arranges them as inflammatory,* bilious and typhoid.
Pleurisy usually causes pain, which is made worse by deep breathing, since the two inflamed layers of the pleura rub against each other.
2005, David B. Jacoby, R. M. Youngson, Encyclopedia Of Family Health, 3rd edition, page 1618Pleurisy usually occurs as a secondary disease to other infections (e.g., pneumonia, tuberculosis), conditions (e.g., pulmonary embolism, tumors), or as a result of injury.
2009, Susan G. Salvo, Mosby′s Pathology for Massage Therapists, 2nd edition, page 286Synonyms: pleuritis
Synonyms & antonyms
nounInflammation of lung pleura.
Origin
- Latinpleuritis
- Late Latinpleurisis
- Old Frenchpleuresie
- Middle Englishpleuresi
- Englishpleurisy
From Middle English pleuresi, pleresye, that borrowed from Old French pleuresie (French pleurésie), from Late Latin pleurisis, alteration of Latin pleuritis. By surface analysis, pleur- + -isy.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian плеврит
- плеврит (plevrit)inflammation of lung pleura
Catalan pleuritis
- pleuritisinflammation of lung pleura
Chinese Mandarin 胸膜炎
- 胸膜炎 (xiōngmóyán)inflammation of lung pleura
Czech zánět pohrudnice
- zánět pohrudniceinflammation of lung pleura
Dutch pleuris
- pleurisinflammation of lung pleura
Finnish keuhkopussintulehdus
- keuhkopussintulehdusinflammation of lung pleura
French pleurésie
- pleurésieinflammation of lung pleura
German Brustfellentzündung
- Brustfellentzündunginflammation of lung pleura
Greek πλευρίτιδα
- πλευρίτιδα (plevrítida)inflammation of lung pleura
Italian pleurite
- pleuriteinflammation of lung pleura
Japanese 胸膜炎
- 胸膜炎 (kyōmakuen)inflammation of lung pleura
Māori mate kiriuhi pūkahu kakā, kiriuhi pūkahu kakā
- mate kiriuhi pūkahu kakāinflammation of lung pleura
- kiriuhi pūkahu kakāinflammation of lung pleura
Norwegian pleuritt
- pleurittinflammation of lung pleura
Portuguese pleurisia, pleurite
- pleurisiainflammation of lung pleura
- pleuriteinflammation of lung pleura
Russian плеври́т
- плеври́т (plevrít)inflammation of lung pleura
Spanish pleuresía
- pleuresíainflammation of lung pleura
Swedish lungsäcksinflammation, pleurit
- lungsäcksinflammationinflammation of lung pleura
- pleuritinflammation of lung pleura
Turkish zatülcenp
- zatülcenpinflammation of lung pleura
Cite this entry
pleurisy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pleurisy
“pleurisy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pleurisy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pleurisy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pleurisy.
Source: pleurisy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.