rheumatism

[ roo-muh-tiz-uh m ]

/ ˈru məˌtɪz əm /

noun Pathology.

any disorder of the extremities or back, characterized by pain and stiffness.

Nearby words

rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, rheumatic pneumonia, rheumatics, rheumatid, rheumatism, rheumatism-root, rheumatoid, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid factor, rheumatoid nodule

Origin of rheumatism

1595–1605; < Latin rheumatismus catarrh, rheum < Greek rheumatismós, equivalent to rheumat- (stem of rheûma; see rheum) + -ismos -ism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rheumatism

Gramma worries all the time for fear he has rheumatism, and nobody to rub on liniment, or make him wear the right underclothes.
Just Patty|Jean Webster
In the autumn, rheumatism takes him to Homburg, but he refuses to learn German, the grinding gibberish of the garrulous Goth.
The Story of My Life, volumes 4-6|Augustus J. C. Hare
This is a form of rheumatism that affects the intercostal muscles; that is, the muscles between the ribs.
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse|United States Department of Agriculture
I daresay they kept off the rheumatism by extra potations of slivovitz.
Round About the Carpathians|Andrew F. Crosse

She had three genuine complaints--rheumatism, sciatica, and neuritis; they were all painful.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for rheumatism

rheumatism

/ (ˈruːməˌtɪzəm) /

noun

any painful disorder of joints, muscles, or connective tissueCompare arthritis, fibrositis

Word Origin for rheumatism

C17: from Latin rheumatismus catarrh, from Greek rheumatismos; see rheum

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

Medicine definitions for rheumatism

rheumatism

[ rōō′mə-tĭz′əm ]

n.

Any of several pathological conditions of the muscles, tendons, joints, bones, or nerves, characterized by discomfort and disability.

Rheumatoid arthritis.