-itis
(word root) inflammationAbused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
-itis
suff.1. Inflammation or disease of: laryngitis.
2. Excessive preoccupation with, indulgence in, reliance on, or possession of the qualities of: televisionitis.
[Greek -ītis, from feminine of -ītēs, adj. suff. (originally modifying feminine noun nosos, disease).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
-itis
suffix forming nouns 1. (Medicine) indicating inflammation of a specified part: tonsillitis.
2. (Medicine) informal indicating a preoccupation with or imaginary condition of illness caused by: computeritis; telephonitis.
[New Latin, from Greek, feminine of -itēs belonging to; see -ite1]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
-itis
a suffix occurring in words that denote an inflammation or disease affecting a given part of the body (appendicitis; bronchitis; phlebitis); also forming nouns, often nonce words, that denote an obsessive state of mind or tendency facetiously compared to a disease (electionitis; telephonitis).
[< New Latin, Latin
-itis < Greek, feminine of
-itēs -ite1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
-itis
A suffix meaning "inflammation," as in bronchitis, inflammation of the bronchial tubes.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.