mellitus
- adjective
- /məˈlɪtəs/
- Specialized
:
mellitus
- The term mellitus in 'diabetes mellitus' refers to the sweet nature of the urine.
Examples
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In medical terminology, mellitus describes the sweetness found in the urine of diabetes patients.
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Historically, the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus involved tasting the patient's urine for sweetness.
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Doctors use the word mellitus to distinguish this type of diabetes from other forms.
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Is this condition mellitus?
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The doctor diagnosed her with mellitus diabetes.
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The diagnosis of mellitus diabetes is based on the presence of sugar in the blood and urine.
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Historically, doctors diagnosed mellitus by tasting urine to detect its sweet flavor.
Synonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
1
4.2
A long-term condition in which the body cannot control blood sugar levels
- Archaic
A long-term condition in adults that makes the body unable to use sugar well and usually needs diet and pills
- Specialized
A mild adult condition of high blood sugar usually controlled by diet and pills, not insulin
- Archaic
A long term illness in adults where the body cannot use sugar well and is treated by diet or pills
A long-term disease in which the body cannot make insulin and needs injections to control blood sugar
- Specialized
A mild diabetes in adults that rarely causes blood acid and doctors treat with diet or tablets not insulin
A long illness in adults that causes high blood sugar and usually does not need insulin injections
Surface Forms
Etymology
Mellitus in medical use comes from the Latin root mel, which means 'honey', and it was used to show that urine tasted sweet. That's why diabetes mellitus names the type of diabetes with 'sweet' urine or extra sugar in the body.