Dictionary.com

tonsillitis

[ ton-suh-lahy-tis ]
/ ˌtɒn səˈlaɪ tɪs /

noun Pathology.

inflammation of a tonsil or the tonsils.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tonsillitis

1795–1805; <Latin tōnsill(ae) tonsils + -itis

OTHER WORDS FROM tonsillitis

ton·sil·lit·ic [ton-suh-lit-ik], /ˌtɒn səˈlɪt ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby tonsillitis

tonsilla, tonsillar, tonsillar crypt, tonsillar fossa, tonsillectomy, tonsillitis, tonsillo-, tonsillolith, tonsillotomy, tonsils, tonsorial
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for tonsillitis

British Dictionary definitions for tonsillitis

tonsillitis
/ (ˌtɒnsɪˈlaɪtɪs) /

noun

inflammation of the palatine tonsils, causing enlargement, occasionally to the extent that they nearly touch one another

Derived forms of tonsillitis

tonsillitic (ˌtɒnsɪˈlɪtɪk), adjective
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

Medical definitions for tonsillitis

tonsillitis
[ tŏn′sə-lī′tĭs ]

n.

Inflammation of a tonsil, especially the palatine tonsil.

Other words from tonsillitis

ton′sil•lit′ic (-lĭt′ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for tonsillitis

tonsillitis
[ tŏn′sə-lī′tĭs ]

Inflammation of the tonsils, usually caused by bacterial infection.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for tonsillitis

tonsillitis
[ (ton-suh-leye-tis) ]

An inflammation of the tonsils, sometimes the result of a bacterial infection.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.