peritonitis

American  

[per-i-tn-ahy-tis] / ˌpɛr ɪ tnˈaɪ tɪs /

noun

Pathology.

1. inflammation of the peritoneum, often accompanied by pain and tenderness in the abdomen, vomiting, constipation, and moderate fever.

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peritonitis British  

/ ˌpɛrɪtəˈnaɪtɪs, ˌpɛrɪtəˈnɪtɪk /

noun

1. inflammation of the peritoneum

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peritonitis Scientific  

/ pĕr′ĭ-tn-ī′tĭs /

1. Infection or inflammation of the peritoneal cavity, usually caused by a ruptured organ, such as the appendix, in the gastrointestinal tract.

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Other Word Forms

• peritonital adjective
• peritonitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of peritonitis

First recorded in 1770–80; periton(eum) + -itis

Example Sentences

Fern Dixon says she had become so used to the pain of her agonising periods that she almost died from peritonitis and sepsis in early 2025.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Otamendi Hospital said she underwent laparoscopic surgery, which confirmed the diagnosis of "appendicitis with localized peritonitis," and that she was recovering "without postoperative complications".

From Barron's • Dec. 21, 2025

McKenna told jurors to disregard the death certificate, which blamed the death on sepsis and peritonitis due to a colon perforated by a feeding tube, which his client had inserted.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2022

Fascinated by “Ulysses,” Arroyo said in a 1991 essay that imagining the illustrations kept him alive when he was hospitalized in the late 1980s for peritonitis, an inflammation of the abdominal lining.

From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2022

“You’ll have to go to a hospital. If the appendix ruptures, you may get peritonitis, and the infection will spread.”

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady