hepatitis

[ hep-uh-tahy-tis ]

/ ˌhɛp əˈtaɪ tɪs /

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noun Pathology.

inflammation of the liver, caused by a virus or a toxin and characterized by jaundice, liver enlargement, and fever.

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Origin of hepatitis

From the Greek word hēpatîtis, dating back to 1720–30. See hepat-, -itis

Words nearby hepatitis

heparin, hepat-, hepatectomy, hepatic, hepatica, hepatitis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis delta, hepatitis non-A, non-B

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hepatitis in a sentence

The vaccine against the hepatitis B virus, for example, works this way.
mRNA Technology Gave Us the First COVID-19 Vaccines. It Could Also Upend the Drug Industry|Walter Isaacson|January 11, 2021|Time
Sinovac founder Yin Weidong, a doctor, started his career in the 1980s in China’s northern city of Tangshan, where he investigated hepatitis outbreaks as part of a municipal public health agency.
A drugmaker’s COVID-19 vaccine is 78% effective—but can it escape its spotty corporate history?|Grady McGregor|January 8, 2021|Fortune
One common immunization that already uses this technique is the hepatitis B vaccine.
Here’s where all the COVID-19 vaccine candidates currently stand|Kate Baggaley|December 18, 2020|Popular-Science
This is consistent with several other vaccines, including hepatitis B, measles, mumps and rubella.
When Can Children Get The COVID-19 Vaccine? 5 Questions Parents Are Asking|LGBTQ-Editor|December 13, 2020|No Straight News

As many as half of patients failed to get their second dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, for example.
The FDA is preparing to authorize the first Covid-19 vaccine in the US|Umair Irfan|December 11, 2020|Vox
He contracted Hepatitis C from drug use, which was a contributory factor in his death.
The Secrets of Britain’s Wildest Aristocrats|Tom Sykes|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hepatitis B plays by the same rules, though the rates of transmission are about 10 times more frequent.
The CDC Was Wrong About How to Stop Ebola|Kent Sepkowitz|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Over time, he can transmit a bloodborne disease such as hepatitis C to the patients he is “sharing” narcotics with.
The Secret World of Drug-Addict Doctors|Kent Sepkowitz|April 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If left untreated, hepatitis C causes liver damage over the course of decades.
There’s a Life Saving New Drug. But You Can’t Afford It.|Kaiser Health News|February 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If treated early enough, 50 to 80 percent of people who contract Hepatitis C are cured.
Anas al-Liby’s Health Care During Terror Trial Could Gouge Taxpayers|Jamie Dettmer|October 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It differs however essentially from that attending hepatitis, from its not being accompanied with fever.
Zoonomia, Vol. II|Erasmus Darwin
Suppose a man to be attacked with hepatitis, (inflammation of the liver:) he has a pain in the right shoulder.
The American Reformed Cattle Doctor|George Dadd
But when the hepatitis is of septic origin, suppuration is likely to occur, the result being an hepatic abscess.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 7|Various
A very grave case of hepatitis endangered his life seriously.
Two Chancellors|Julian Klaczko
Obscure lameness in front, of the right leg mostly, may be a symptom of hepatitis.
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse|United States Department of Agriculture

British Dictionary definitions for hepatitis

hepatitis

/ (ˌhɛpəˈtaɪtɪs) /

noun

inflammation of the liver, characterized by fever, jaundice, and weaknessSee hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C

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

Scientific definitions for hepatitis

hepatitis

[ hĕp′ə-tī′tĭs ]

Inflammation of the liver, usually caused by any of various infectious agents or toxins, including alcohol and numerous chemical compounds. Symptoms usually include jaundice, fatigue, fever, liver enlargement, and abdominal pain. There are five types of viral hepatitis: A, B,C, D, and E. Hepatitis A, an acute infection caused by a virus of the genus Hepatovirus is transmitted by contaminated food and water. Hepatitis B, caused by a virus of the genus Orthohepadnavirus and Hepatitis C, caused by a virus of the genus Hepacivirus, are more serious infections that are transmitted through infected bodily fluids such as blood and semen.

Cultural definitions for hepatitis

hepatitis

[ (hep-uh-teye-tis) ]

An inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis is most often caused by a virus, but it can be the result of exposure to certain toxic agents, such as drugs or chemicals. One viral form of the disease is spread by contaminated food and water, and other forms by contaminated injection needles and blood transfusions. Symptoms of hepatitis include fever and jaundice.