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Glite Dictionary
temporal arteritis

temporal arteritis

1 7.8
Swelling of a blood vessel at the temple causing headaches, jaw pain, and sometimes vision loss
  • noun
  • /ˈtɛmpərəl ˌɑːrtəˈraɪtɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : arteritis temporal
  • The doctor diagnosed her with temporal arteritis after she described her severe headache and jaw pain.

Examples

  • Untreated temporal arteritis can sometimes lead to vision loss in elderly patients.

  • She was diagnosed with temporal arteritis last month.

  • A biopsy of the artery confirmed the presence of temporal arteritis in the patient.

  • Many patients experience severe headaches due to temporal arteritis.

  • The doctor diagnosed her with temporal arteritis after she complained of severe headaches and jaw pain.

  • He experienced intense discomfort and noted that temporal arteritis can lead to vision problems if untreated.

  • After researching her symptoms, she learned that temporal arteritis primarily affects the blood vessels in the head.

Surface Forms

temporal arteritis singular
temporal arteritides plural

Morphology

temporal + arteritis

The term is directly compositional: 'temporal' specifies the temple/side of the head and 'arteritis' denotes inflammation of arteries, so together they denote inflammation of the temporal arteries. This follows regular medical naming patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

Temporal arteritis: The medical term temporal arteritis comes from its parts: temporal points to the temples, the sides of the head, and arteritis means 'inflammation' of an artery. So it describes a painful swelling of the arteries at the temples that can cause 'headache', 'jaw pain', and 'vision problems'.