Definition

A medical condition where the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord become inflamed, usually due to an infection, leading to symptoms like fever, headache, and neck stiffness.

Example

The doctor diagnosed her with meningitis after she showed symptoms of severe headache and fever.

Conversation

Have you heard about the recent outbreak of meningitis in the area?

Yeah, I read about it online; it sounds really serious.

I can't believe how fast it can spread; we should be careful.

Definitely, let's make sure to wash our hands more often.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Meningitis → It is formed from "mening-" (from Greek "meninx", meaning membrane) and "-itis" (from Greek "itis", meaning inflammation). The word describes the inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Memory Tip

Think of 'mening-' referring to the 'membrane' around the brain and 'itis' indicating 'inflammation' — so meningitis means inflammation of the membranes.

Visually Confused Words