Meanings
plural rheumatisms
- 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 32 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 4The old man had become a confirmed invalid, confined by chronic rheumatism to his chair.
1874, Wilkie Collins, The Dead Alive - countableuncountablemedicineAtrophic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints and marked deformities; something (possibly a virus) triggers an attack on the synovium by the immune system, which releases cytokines that stimulate an inflammatory reaction that can lead to the destruction of all components of the joint
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekῥευματισμός“humour, discharge, rheum”
- Latinrheumatismus“rheum”
- 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”)
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic رَثْيَة
- رَثْيَة (raṯya)any painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Bulgarian ревматизъм
- ревматизъм (revmatizăm)any painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Catalan reumatisme
- reumatismeany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Chinese Mandarin 風濕 /风湿, 風濕病 /风湿病
- 風濕 /风湿 (fēngshī)any painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- 風濕病 /风湿病 (fēngshībìng)any painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- 類風濕性關節炎 /类风湿性关节炎 (lèifēngshīxìng guānjiéyán)rheumatoid arthritis
Czech revmatismus
- revmatismusany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Esperanto reŭmatismo
- reŭmatismoany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Finnish reumatismi, reuma
- reumatismiany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- reumaany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- nivelreumarheumatoid arthritis
French rhumatisme
- rhumatismeany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
German Rheuma, Rheumatismus
- Rheumaany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- Rheumatismusany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Hebrew שיגרון
- שיגרוןany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Hindi गठिया, गठिया
- गठिया (gaṭhiyā)any painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- गठिया (gaṭhiyā)rheumatoid arthritis
Hungarian reuma, csúz
- reumaany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- csúzany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Irish scoilteacha, daitheacha
- scoilteachaany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- daitheachaany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Japanese リウマチ, リューマチ
- リウマチ (riumachi)any painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- リューマチ (ryūmachi)any painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Korean 류머티즘
- 류머티즘 (ryumeotijeum)any painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Māori kaikoiwi, rūmātiki
- kaikoiwiany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- rūmātikiany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Polish reumatyzm, reumatyzm
- reumatyzmany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- reumatyzmrheumatoid arthritis
Portuguese reumatismo
- reumatismoany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Russian ревмати́зм, ревмати́зм
- ревмати́зм (revmatízm)any painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- ревмати́зм (revmatízm)rheumatoid arthritis
Scottish Gaelic lòinidh, siataig
- lòinidhany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- siataigany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- lòinidhrheumatoid arthritis
- siataigrheumatoid arthritis
Slovak reumatizmus
- reumatizmusany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Spanish reumatismo, reuma
- reumatismoany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- reumaany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- reúmaany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Tagalog rayuma
- rayumaany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Thai รูมาติซึม
- รูมาติซึมany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Turkish romatizma
- romatizmaany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Vietnamese (bệnh) phong thấp, (bệnh) tê thấp
- (bệnh) phong thấpany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- (bệnh) tê thấpany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
- (bệnh) thấp khớpany painful disorder of muscles, tendons, joints, bones and nerves
Cite this entry
rheumatism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rheumatism
“rheumatism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rheumatism. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rheumatism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rheumatism.
Source: rheumatism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.