Definition

A condition where the breast or udder becomes swollen and painful, often due to an infection.

Example

The veterinarian diagnosed the cow with mastitis after noticing swelling in her udder.

Conversation

I heard that someone in our group had to deal with mastitis recently.

Oh really? That's tough, I can only imagine how painful that must be.

Yeah, I read that it often happens due to infections.

Exactly, and it's important to get it treated quickly to avoid complications.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Mastitis is formed from "masto-" (from Greek "mastos", meaning breast) and "-itis" (from Greek "itis", meaning inflammation). The word refers to the inflammation of the breast tissue.

Memory Tip

Think of 'masto-' which relates to the breast and '-itis' which indicates inflammation — so mastitis means inflammation of the breast.

Visually Confused Words