Origin: Greek suffix -itis
Hepatitis has 2 different meanings across 1 category:
inflammation of the liver caused by a virus or a toxin
"The patient was diagnosed with hepatitis after contracting a viral infection that triggered severe inflammation in his liver."
Inflammation of the liver, sometimes caused by a viral infection.
"He was diagnosed with hepatitis after testing positive for a virus that inflamed his liver."
In plain English: Hepatitis is inflammation of your liver that makes it swell and struggle to work properly.
"The doctor explained that hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver often caused by viruses."
Usage: Hepatitis refers specifically to inflammation of the liver and is often used when discussing conditions like hepatitis A or B rather than general liver disease. It describes both acute infections from viruses such as Hep C and chronic cases that may develop over time without immediate symptoms.
The word comes from the Latin hepatitis, which was formed by adding a suffix meaning "inflammation" to the root for liver found in both Latin and Ancient Greek. It entered English as a medical term describing inflammation of that organ.