polyserositis

1 9.9

Several thin linings around organs become inflamed at the same time

noun
/ˌpɒliːsəˈroʊsɪtɪs/

Specialized

: poliserositis

Many doctors are unfamiliar with polyserositis.

Examples

Treatment for polyserositis often involves managing inflammation in multiple body cavities.
After several tests, the diagnosis of polyserositis explained the patient's widespread discomfort.
The doctor suspected polyserositis when the patient presented with chest and abdominal pain.
The patient was diagnosed with polyserositis last week.
The doctor explained that polyserositis can cause inflammation of multiple serous membranes, leading to serious complications.
She was diagnosed with polyserositis, which meant several membranes in her body were inflamed at once.
Symptoms of polyserositis include sharp pain and swelling in areas around the affected serous membranes.

Surface Forms

polyserositis singular

polyserosites plural

Morphology

polyserositis = serositis (opaque) = poly + seros + itis

The target is formed by adding poly- to the technical base serositis, but that base is specialized medical vocabulary and is not easily recoverable for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Polyserositis is made of three parts: poly- meaning 'many', sero- (from serosa) meaning 'watery', and -itis meaning 'inflammation', the same ending in appendicitis and arthritis. So, polyserositis is inflammation of many 'watery' body linings, which is why it causes pain in several areas.