Definition

A medical condition characterized by the inflammation of the gallbladder, often causing pain and digestive issues.

Example

The doctor diagnosed her with cholecystitis after she complained of severe abdominal pain.

Conversation

I heard you were feeling unwell lately.

Yeah, the doctor said it might be cholecystitis.

Oh no, that sounds serious!

It is, but I'm following the treatment plan.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Cholecystitis is formed from "chole" (from Greek "chole", meaning bile) and "cystis" (from Greek "kystis", meaning bladder or sac) and "-itis" (from Greek "itis", meaning inflammation). The word refers to the inflammation of the bile bladder or gallbladder.

Memory Tip

Think of 'bile' ('chole') stored in a 'sac' ('cystis') that is 'inflamed' ('-itis') — that's what cholecystitis means.

Visually Confused Words