Meanings
nounsepsis (countable and uncountable, plural sepses)
plural sepses
- countableuncountablemedicineA serious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed, causing injury to its own tissues and organs as a response to infection.
Los Angeles-based actor’s boyfriend said she died from meningitis and blood infection which in turn led to sepsis[.]
2026 June 17, Maya Yang, “Daveigh Chase, child star known for Lilo & Stitch and The Ring, dies aged 35”, in The Guardian, →ISSN1 more example
Imagine the sepsis of helpless loathing [Jimmy Connors] must have inspired in his opponents during his "great runs" at the US Open.
1994, Martin Amis, New Yorker, reprinted in The Rub of Time (NY: Knopf, 2017), pp. 213-14
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Origin
- Ancient Greekσῆψις“putrefaction”
- Englishsepsis
From Ancient Greek σῆψις (sêpsis, “putrefaction”), from σήπω (sḗpō, “to make rotten”), from σήψ (sḗps, “a kind of lizard; also a kind of serpent whose bite was alleged to cause putrefaction”).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic تَلَوُّث اَلْدَم
- تَلَوُّث اَلْدَم (talawwuṯ al-dam)serious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Basque septizemia
- septizemiaserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Catalan sèpsia
- sèpsiaserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Chinese Mandarin 敗血症 /败血症
- 敗血症 /败血症 (bàixiězhèng)serious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Czech sepse, otrava krve
- sepseserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- otrava krveserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Danish sepsis, blodforgiftning
- sepsisserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- blodforgiftningserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Dutch sepsis
- sepsisserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Esperanto sepso, sangoveneniĝo
- sepsoserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- sangoveneniĝoserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Finnish verenmyrkytys, sepsis
- verenmyrkytysserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- sepsisserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
French sepsis
- sepsisserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
German Sepsis, Blutvergiftung
- Sepsisserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- Blutvergiftungserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- Septikämieserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Greek σήψη
- σήψη (sípsi)serious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Hebrew אלח דם
- אלח דםserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Hungarian szepszis, vérmérgezés
- szepszisserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- vérmérgezésserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Icelandic graftarsótt, (septicemia) blóðsýking
- graftarsóttserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- (septicemia) blóðsýkingserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- (septicemia) blóðeitrunserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Indonesian sepsis
- sepsisserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Italian sepsi
- sepsiserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Japanese 敗血症
- 敗血症 (haiketsushō)serious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Korean 패혈증
- 패혈증 (paehyeoljeung)serious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Polish sepsa, posocznica
- sepsaserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- posocznicaserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Portuguese sepse, sépsis
- sepseserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- sépsisserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Romanian sepsie
- sepsieserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Russian се́псис, зараже́ние кро́ви
- се́псис (sɛ́psis)serious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- зараже́ние кро́ви (zaražénije króvi)serious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- о́бщее зараже́ние (óbščeje zaražénije)serious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Slovak sepsa
- sepsaserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Spanish sepsis
- sepsisserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Swedish sepsis, blodförgiftning
- sepsisserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
- blodförgiftningserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Thai ภาวะพิษเหตุติดเชื้อ
- ภาวะพิษเหตุติดเชื้อ (paa-wá-pít-hèet-dtìt-chʉ́ʉa)serious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Turkish sepsis
- sepsisserious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
sepsis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sepsis
MLA
“sepsis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sepsis. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sepsis,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sepsis.
Source: sepsis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.