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

Novo Nordisk raised its annual guidance due to an improved outlook for its key obesity and diabetes drugs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Its injectable diabetes products, including Ozempic, accounted for 29.81 billion kroner of sales, down 5% year-on-year.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

The Danish drugmaker raised its guidance for the year after noting an improved outlook for its key obesity and diabetes drugs, particularly in markets outside of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

A conventional glucose sensor, similar to those worn on the upper arm by many people with diabetes, continuously measures glucose concentrations in tissue.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

Maybe then they’d have thought I had diabetes and get extra worried.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

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