phrenitis
- noun
- /frəˈnaɪtɪs/
- Archaic
:
frenitis
- Modern medicine has replaced the term phrenitis with more specific diagnoses like encephalitis.
Examples
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The physician diagnosed the man with phrenitis, noting severe headache and confusion.
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In historical accounts, patients suffering from phrenitis often displayed delirium and persistent fever.
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The doctor diagnosed her with phrenitis after observing the symptoms.
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He suffered from phrenitis during his childhood.
-
The physician diagnosed the man with phrenitis, noting severe headache and confusion.
-
In historical accounts, patients suffering from phrenitis often displayed delirium and persistent fever.
-
He suffered from phrenitis during his childhood.
Synonyms
16
8.6
A serious illness that makes the brain swell, often from a virus
1
9.9
An old name for a serious infection of the brain or its lining
A swelling and irritation of the brain usually caused by a virus
Surface Forms
Morphology
phrenitis = phren (semi-transparent) = phren + itis
The suffix '-itis' clearly signals 'inflammation' (transparent), but the root 'phren' is an obscure combining form not familiar to average learners, so the overall meaning is not fully guessable.
Etymology
Phrenitis comes from the root phren meaning 'mind' and the ending -itis meaning 'inflammation', the same ending you see in words like tonsillitis or arthritis. So phrenitis literally meant 'inflammation of the mind' and was an old medical name for a brain infection that caused fever and confusion.