-itis

1. a suffix used in pathological terms that denote inflammation of an organ ( bronchitis; gastritis; neuritis ) and hence, in extended senses, nouns denoting abnormal states or conditions, excesses, tendencies, obsessions, etc. ( telephonitis; baseballitis ).

-itis

suffix forming nouns

1. indicating inflammation of a specified part

   tonsillitis

2. informal.
   indicating a preoccupation with or imaginary condition of illness caused by

   telephonitis

   computeritis

–itis

1. A suffix meaning “inflammation,” as in bronchitis, inflammation of the bronchial tubes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of -itis¹

< New Latin (or Latin ) -ītis < Greek

Word History and Origins

Origin of -itis¹

New Latin, from Greek, feminine of -itēs belonging to; see -ite ¹

Example Sentences

With opposition almost non-existent and Russian media completely under his control, itis widely believed Mr Putin's victory is inevitable.

From BBC

“And any disease that ends in ‘–itis’ — such as arthritis, colitis, diverticulitis — is a disease of inflammation,” D’Adamo says.

From Washington Post

If that last line sounds familiar itis because there is an echo of it maybe in the statement put out by the Alzheimer’s Society just this week: “The Alzheimer’s Society agree that more research is needed into possible connections between heading and dementia.”

From The Guardian

The government has said it does not target opponents but itis the responsibility of police to uphold the law.

From Reuters

Kirill Tachennikov, director and senior oil analyst at BCSGlobal Markets said: “Even if a 10 million bpd cut is agreed, itis not technically possible to achieve these numbers in lessthan a month, and it is not enough to offset current oversupplythat is exceeding 20 million bpd as it stands. As a result, thechallenges of oil storage gradually filling up is still a veryreal issue.”

From Reuters