meningitis
/meninˈxitis/feminine
The Spanish word for meningitis is meningitis.
The term refers to the medical condition of inflammation of the meninges.
Meaning: inflammation of the meninges (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the noun is feminine, it is used with the feminine article la to say "the meningitis" (la meningitis).
How do you pronounce it?
/meninˈxitis/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, a person suffering from meningitis might be described as having rigidez de nuca, a specific phrase for the stiff neck that is a hallmark symptom of the disease.
- The word meningitis comes from the Ancient Greek word mḗnĭngos, which originally meant 'membrane' or 'envelope'.
- The term meningitis belongs to a class of nouns in Spanish that end in -itis, which are almost exclusively feminine regardless of the root word's origin.
Examples in context
- Mi hermano fue diagnosticado con meningitis.My brother was diagnosed with meningitis.
- La meningitis es una enfermedad grave que afecta las membranas que rodean el cerebro y la médula espinal.Meningitis is a serious illness that affects the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
- La meningitis es una enfermedad muy grave.Meningitis is a very serious disease.
- El médico confirmó que tiene meningitis.The doctor confirmed that he has meningitis.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a person in the hospital.
- Sofía¿Cómo está tu hermano en el hospital?How is your brother in the hospital?
- DanielEstá mal porque tiene meningitis.He is doing poorly because he has meningitis.
- SofíaSiento mucho que su salud sea tan delicada.I am so sorry his health is so delicate.
- DanielGracias, espero que se recupere pronto.Thank you, I hope he recovers soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “meningitis” translations and entries meningitis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries meningitis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
