cephalitis
- noun
- /ˌsɛfəˈlaɪtɪs/
- Specialized
:
cefalitis
- The patient was diagnosed with cephalitis after experiencing severe headaches and confusion.
Examples
-
Symptoms of cephalitis can develop rapidly and require immediate medical attention.
-
The doctor diagnosed her with cephalitis after several tests.
-
Early treatment is critical for viral cephalitis to prevent serious complications.
-
The patient was diagnosed with cephalitis after experiencing severe headaches and confusion.
-
He suffered from cephalitis for weeks before recovery.
-
Symptoms of cephalitis can develop rapidly and require immediate medical attention.
-
Early treatment is critical for viral cephalitis to prevent serious complications.
Synonyms
16
8.6
A serious illness that makes the brain swell, often from a virus
5
3.2
An illness that damages the brain and makes it work less well
5
9.9
A disease of the brain that affects how it works
1
9.9
An old name for a serious infection of the brain or its lining
A brain infection causing fever, headache and confusion
How Severe
- Specialized
1
9.9
- Specialized
1
9.9
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
cephalitis = cephal + itis
Both elements are Greek combining forms (cephal- 'head' + -itis 'inflammation') that are not productive standalone English words, so the meaning is not guessable by an average B1 learner without medical vocabulary knowledge.
Etymology
Cephalitis comes from the Greek root cephal- meaning 'head' and the medical ending -itis meaning 'inflammation', the same ending you see in arthritis. So cephalitis literally means 'inflammation of the head', and today it is used for inflammation of the brain, usually caused by an infection.