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arthritis

American  
[ahr-thrahy-tis] / ɑrˈθraɪ tɪs /

noun

  1. acute or chronic inflammation of a joint, often accompanied by pain and structural changes and having diverse causes, as infection, crystal deposition, or injury.


arthritis British  
/ ɑːˈθraɪtɪs, ɑːˈθrɪtɪk /

noun

  1. inflammation of a joint or joints characterized by pain and stiffness of the affected parts, caused by gout, rheumatic fever, etc See also rheumatoid arthritis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

arthritis Scientific  
/ är-thrītĭs /
  1. Acute or chronic inflammation of one or more joints, usually accompanied by pain and stiffness, resulting from infection, trauma, degenerative changes, autoimmune disease, or other causes.

  2. See also osteoarthritis rheumatoid arthritis


arthritis Cultural  
  1. The inflammation of tissues in the joints (such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis), usually resulting in pain and stiffness.


Usage

Rather than talking about an arthritic or arthritics , it is better to talk about a person with arthritis and people with arthritis

Other Word Forms

  • arthritic adjective

Etymology

Origin of arthritis

First recorded in 1535–45; from New Latin, from Greek: “gout,” from árthr(on) “joint” ( arthro- ) + -ītis -itis

Compare meaning

How does arthritis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He said he needed his car to transport his young daughter and to visit his mother, who had arthritis.

From BBC

The company voluntarily withdrew it after lawsuits alleged it caused side effects such as arthritis.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some young people shared their experiences of being diagnosed with arthritis with elected representatives and spoke about how they found transitioning into adult services.

From BBC

James, who took a hard spill in the fourth quarter and banged his right elbow, was officially nursing left foot arthritis.

From Los Angeles Times

She was a southpaw for whupping, and she had arthritis in that elbow, so while she could still whup, it didn’t make much of an impression.

From Literature