cerebrospinal meningitis
- noun
- /ˌsɛrəbroʊˈspaɪnəl ˌmɛnɪnˈdʒaɪtɪs/
- Archaic
:
meningitis cerebroespinal
- Prompt diagnosis and treatment are crucial for patients suffering from cerebrospinal meningitis.
Examples
-
Vaccination has significantly reduced the incidence of cerebrospinal meningitis worldwide.
-
The outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis led to widespread concern in the region.
-
The child was diagnosed with cerebrospinal meningitis last week.
-
Have you heard about the outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis in the region?
-
Prompt diagnosis and treatment are crucial for patients suffering from cerebrospinal meningitis.
-
The outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis led to widespread concern in the region.
-
Vaccination has significantly reduced the incidence of cerebrospinal meningitis worldwide.
Synonyms
52
6.5
A serious infection that makes the thin layers around the brain and spinal cord swell and cause headache and fever
1
9.9
An old name for a serious infection of the brain or its lining
A serious bacterial infection that affects the coverings of the brain and spinal cord and often causes meningitis
How Severe
- Archaic
- Specialized
1
9.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: 'cerebrospinal' specifies the brain-and-spinal-cord region and 'meningitis' names inflammation/infection of the meninges, so the overall meaning (infection/inflammation of the meninges in the brain and spinal cord) follows from the parts. Although medical and somewhat technical, the pieces make the sense transparent and are cross-linguistically recognizable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand it.
Etymology
Cerebrospinal meningitis describes where the illness happens: cerebro- means 'brain', spinal means 'spine', and meningitis means the thin layers that cover them get swollen from infection. So the term means 'an infection that makes the coverings of the brain and spine swell', which explains why it is a serious illness.