meningitis

American  

[men-in-jahy-tis] / ˌmɛn ɪnˈdʒaɪ tɪs /

noun

Pathology.

1. inflammation of the meninges, especially of the pia mater and arachnoid, caused by a bacterial or viral infection and characterized by high fever, severe headache, and stiff neck or back muscles.

---

meningitis British  

/ ˌmɛnɪnˈdʒɪtɪk, ˌmɛnɪnˈdʒaɪtɪs /

noun

1. inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain or spinal cord, caused by infection

---

meningitis Scientific  

/ mĕn′ĭn-jī′tĭs /

1. Inflammation of the meninges of the brain and the spinal cord, usually resulting from a bacterial or viral infection and often characterized by fever, vomiting, an intense headache, and a stiff neck.

---

meningitis Cultural  

1. Inflammation of the meninges of the brain or spinal cord, most often resulting from a bacterial or viral infection.

---

Other Word Forms

• meningitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of meningitis

From New Latin, dating back to 1820–30; meninges, -itis

Example Sentences

Australian Test cricket great Damien Martyn has revealed he was only given a 50 percent chance of surviving after being put in an induced coma with meningitis last month.

From Barron's

He referred her for a round of intravenous immunoglobulin treatment — which she said caused severe headaches, aches, nausea, dizziness and aseptic meningitis — and prescribed a powerful intravenous immunosuppressant used for blood cancers and autoimmune illnesses.

From BBC

Other changes include dropping a mandatory hepatitis B vaccine for newborns, as well as identifying bacterial meningitis, rotavirus and COVID-19 as recommended only for “high risk groups.”

From Los Angeles Times

Vaccines for meningitis, hepatitis A and B, dengue, flu, Covid and RSV will now be recommended only for “high-risk” children, or be left to “shared clinical decision-making” between doctors and parents.

From The Wall Street Journal

They also point to epidemiological differences, such as the fact that different strains of meningococcal meningitis are more prevalent in Europe than in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal