hepatitis

American  

[hep-uh-tahy-tis] / ˌhɛp əˈtaɪ tɪs /

noun

Pathology.

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

---

hepatitis British  

/ ˌhɛpəˈtaɪtɪs /

noun

1. inflammation of the liver, characterized by fever, jaundice, and weakness See hepatitis A hepatitis B hepatitis C

---

hepatitis Scientific  

/ hĕp′ə-tī′tĭs /

1. 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.

---

hepatitis Cultural  

1. 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.

---

Etymology

Origin of hepatitis

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

Explanation

Hepatitis is a medical condition that causes inflammation in the liver. Most types of hepatitis are caused by a virus. An inflamed liver from hepatitis can produce very mild symptoms or much more serious ones. Five main variants of one virus cause most cases of hepatitis, although there are additional causes, including other infections, medications, heavy alcohol intake, and toxins. The condition's symptoms include hints that the liver isn't working right, like yellowing of the eyes. Hepatitis is from the Greek hepar, "liver," and -itis, "inflammation."

Example Sentences

The same accusation arose a decade ago over its marketing of Sovaldi and Harvoni, its miracle cures for hepatitis C.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

A drug currently being tested to treat hepatitis C may also work against hepatitis E by stopping the virus from reproducing.

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026

And it now recommends that families and healthcare providers engage in what is dubbed “shared clinical decision-making” for the once broadly recommended vaccines against rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, hepatitis A and B, and meningococcal disease.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

Beyda was involved in lining up funding for a controversial study of the hepatitis B vaccine in Guinea-Bissau without input from the agency’s center that oversees viral hepatitis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

He’d seen others get hepatitis from bad water.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge