-itis
/-ˈaɪtɪs/
-itis suffix: denoting diseases characterized by inflammation, itself often caused by an infection.
Suffix
-itis (noun-forming suffix, usually uncountable, plural (uncommon) -itides or (rare) -itises or (rare) -ites)
- Denoting diseases characterized by inflammation, itself often caused by an infection.
- Used to form the names of various fictitious afflictions or diseases.
- What to Do About Senioritis: Make Your Senior Year Count, College Board. Accessed April 4, 2008.
-itis meaning in Malay
-itis in Malay
- suffix denoting diseases characterized by inflammation
- radang
Forms of -itis
| plural uncommon | -itides |
|---|---|
| plural (rare) | -itises |
| plural (rare) | -ites |
Origin of -itis
From New Latin -itis, from Ancient Greek -ῖτις (-îtis, “pertaining to”). This is the feminine form of adjectival suffix -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs). The English suffix derives from the feminine form due to its use with the feminine noun νόσος (nósos, “disease”), particularly with ἀρθρῖτις (νόσος) (arthrîtis (nósos), “disease of the joints”) (one of the earliest English borrowings from which the suffix was extracted and abstracted). Adding "-itis" to the end of a word or phrase can give a humorous sense by generalization.
Words formed from -itis
- adenitis
- adnexitis
- alveolitis
- angiitis
- apocrinitis
- appendicitis
- arthritis
- balanitis
- blepharitis
- bronchiolitis
- bronchitis
- bronchoalveolitis
- bronchopneumonitis
- bursitis
- cellulitis
- cholangitis
- cholecystitis
- colitis
- conjunctivitis
- cystitis
- dermatitis
- diverticulitis
- encephalitis
- endocarditis
- endocervicitis
- enteritis
- enterocolitis
- epicondylitis
- epididymitis
- esophagitis
- fibrositis
- folliculitis
- gastritis
- gastroenteritis
- gingivitis
- glomerulonephritis
- glossitis
- hepatitis
- ileitis
- iridocyclitis
- iritis
- keratitis
- keratoconjunctivitis
- laryngitis
- leptomeningitis
- lymphangitis
- mastitis
- mastoiditis
- meningitis
- myocarditis
- myositis
- nephritis
- neuritis
- neurodermatitis
- odontobothritis
- oesophagitis
- oophoritis
- orchitis
- osteoarthritis
- osteomyelitis
Questions about -itis
- What does -itis mean?
- -itis means denoting diseases characterized by inflammation, itself often caused by an infection.
- What is -itis in Malay?
- -itis in Malay is radang. See -itis meaning in Malay.
- What part of speech is -itis?
- -itis is a suffix.
- How do you pronounce -itis?
- -itis is pronounced /-ˈaɪtɪs/.
Words near -itis in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: -itis (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl--itis.wav.
Cite this entry: “-itis.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/-itis. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.