English

Suffix

-itis (usually uncountable, sometimes -itides or rarely -itises)

1. (pathology) Suffix denoting diseases characterized by inflammation, itself often caused by an infection.
2. (humorous) Used to form the names of various fictitious afflictions or diseases.
   • What to Do About Senioritis: Make Your Senior Year Count, College Board. Accessed April 4, 2008.^[2]

Usage notes

While most of the derived terms theoretically have plurals in -itides (from the Ancient Greek -ῑ́τῐδες ‎(-ī́tides), plural of -ῖτῐς ‎(-îtis)), -itises (the regularized English plural), or both, these forms are rarely used, as the derived terms are mass nouns, so their plurals are called for only when referring to types. For example, hepatitides or hepatitises as "types of hepatitis" have some currency in the medical literature, but most other such plurals do not.

Derived terms

Descendants

• itis

Translations

References

1. ↑ -itis. Dictionary.com.
2. ↑ What to Do About Senioritis: Make Your Senior Year Count

Latin

Etymology 1

From Ancient Greek -ῖτις ‎(-îtis, “pertaining to”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈi.tis/, [ˈɪ.tɪs]

Suffix

-itis f ‎(genitive -itidis); third declension

1. (New Latin, pathology) -itis (suffix denoting diseases characterized by inflammation, itself often caused by an infection)

Etymology 2

See -ītēs.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈiː.tiːs/

Suffix

-ītīs

1. dative plural of -ītēs
2. ablative plural of -ītēs

Spanish

Etymology

From New Latin -itis, from Ancient Greek -ῖτις ‎(-îtis, “pertaining to”).

Suffix

-itis

1. (pathology) -itis (suffix denoting diseases characterized by inflammation, itself often caused by an infection)
2. (humorous) -itis (used to form the names of various fictitious afflictions or diseases)