diabetes

American  

[dahy-uh-bee-tis, -teez] / ˌdaɪ əˈbi tɪs, -tiz /

noun

Pathology.

1. any of several disorders characterized by increased urine production.

2. Also called diabetes mellitus. a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism, usually occurring in genetically predisposed individuals, characterized by inadequate production or utilization of insulin and resulting in excessive amounts of glucose in the blood and urine, excessive thirst, weight loss, and in some cases progressive destruction of small blood vessels leading to such complications as infections and gangrene of the limbs or blindness.

3. type 1 diabetes.

4. type 2 diabetes.

5. Also called diabetes insipidus. increased urine production caused by inadequate secretion of vasopressin by the pituitary gland.

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diabetes British  

/ ˌdaɪəˈbiːtɪs, -tiːz /

noun

1. any of various disorders, esp diabetes mellitus, characterized by excretion of an abnormally large amount of urine

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Etymology

Origin of diabetes

First recorded in 1555–65; from New Latin, Latin, from Greek, equivalent to diabē- (variant stem of diabaínein “to go through, pass over,” equivalent to dia- “through” + baínein “to pass”) + -tēs agent suffix; see dia-

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Explanation

When a person has the medical condition called diabetes, the body can’t produce enough insulin to process the glucose in the blood. Diabetes has been known since the first century B.C.E., when a Greek physician, Aretus the Cappadocian, named it diabainein, meaning "a siphon," referring to the excessive urination associated with the disease. The word diabetes was first recorded in 1425, and in 1675, the Greek mellitus, “like honey,” was added, to reflect the sweet smell and taste of the patient’s urine. An unrelated and rare disorder, diabetes insipidus, is usually caused by a hormone deficiency.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diabetes

At Whitehead, Sabatini’s work focused on how cells and organisms regulate growth, helping researchers understand how to treat cancer and diabetes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

You’re much more likely to experience problems like preeclampsia and gestational diabetes.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, analyzed information from a large database of US adults ages 18 to 65 with Type 2 diabetes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

A third of Scots are classified as obese, which can lead to serious health complications including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

In 2005, members of the Native American Havasupai Tribe sued Arizona State University after scientists took tissue samples the tribe donated for diabetes research and used them without consent to study schizophrenia and inbreeding.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

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