diabetes mellitus
/djaˌbetes meˈlitus/feminine
The English phrase "diabetes mellitus" is translated into Spanish as diabetes mellitus.
diabetes mellitus refers to the medical disorder. In casual or non-medical conversations, speakers often shorten the phrase to simply diabetes.
Meaning: medical disorder (noun)
Which one should you use?
The term diabetes mellitus is the full medical name, while diabetes is the shortened version used in informal contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is feminine, so when using a definite article, it is preceded by the feminine article la (e.g., la diabetes mellitus) rather than el.
How do you pronounce it?
/djaˌbetes meˈlitus/
Did you know?
- In some rural Spanish-speaking regions, people may refer to the condition as la maldad del azúcar ('the evil of sugar'), reflecting folk linguistic traditions regarding chronic illness.
- In Spanish, the word diabetes is a loanword from Greek, meaning 'siphon' or 'to pass through', which is why it retains the same spelling across many European languages.
- While the term mellitus comes from the Latin word for 'honey', some older Spanish medical texts used the phrase diabetes melada to emphasize the sweetness of the urine.
Examples in context
- La diabetes mellitus requiere control constante.Diabetes mellitus requires constant control.
- Muchos adultos padecen diabetes mellitus.Many adults suffer from diabetes mellitus.
Example conversation
Two people are discussing a medical report.
- MaríaJavier, ¿qué dice el informe médico?Javier, what does the medical report say?
- JavierDice que el paciente tiene diabetes mellitus.It says that the patient has diabetes mellitus.
- MaríaEs una condición difícil de manejar.It is a difficult condition to manage.
- JavierSí, pero el tratamiento ayuda mucho.Yes, but the treatment helps a lot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “diabetes mellitus” translations and entries diabetes mellitus, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
