celulitis
/θeluˈlitis/feminine
Cellulitis in Spanish is celulitis. Wiktionary also lists inflamación celulítica.
Meaning: subcutaneous inflammation (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| celulitis | /θeluˈlitis/ /seluˈlitis/ |
feminine |
| inflamación celulítica | /inflamaθjon θelulitika/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /inflamasjon selulitika/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
feminine |
The term refers to subcutaneous inflammation. In medical contexts, you might encounter the specific phrase El paciente sufre de celulitis to indicate that a patient is suffering from the condition.
Which one should you use?
celulitis is the standard term, while inflamación celulítica is a more descriptive way to refer to the subcutaneous inflammation.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin America, the metaphorical phrase piel de naranja (orange peel) is used to describe cellulite or cellulitis.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun celulitis is feminine, so it is preceded by the feminine article la.
How do you pronounce it?
/θeluˈlitis/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word inflamación is derived from the Latin īnflammātiōnem, which literally means to set something on fire from within.
- In Spanish, celulitis is used for both the serious medical infection and the cosmetic skin dimpling that English speakers call 'cellulite'.
Examples in context
- El doctor diagnosticó a María con celulitis.The doctor diagnosed Maria with cellulitis.
- El médico confirmó que tengo celulitis.The doctor confirmed that I have cellulitis.
- La celulitis puede ser muy dolorosa.Cellulitis can be very painful.
- Necesito antibióticos para tratar la celulitis.I need antibiotics to treat the cellulitis.
Example conversation
Elena is showing a red patch on her arm to Alejandro.
- ElenaMira, Alejandro, mi brazo está muy hinchado.Look, Alejandro, my arm is very swollen.
- AlejandroParece que tienes celulitis en la piel.It looks like you have cellulitis on your skin.
- ElenaMe duele mucho cuando lo toco.It hurts a lot when I touch it.
- AlejandroDebes ir a urgencias ahora mismo, Elena.You should go to the emergency room right now, Elena.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cellulitis” translations and entries celulitis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries celulitis, inflamación, CC BY-SA 4.0.
