cholangitis
|cho-lan-gi-tis|
🇺🇸
/ˌkoʊlænˈdʒaɪtɪs/
🇬🇧
/ˌkəʊlænˈdʒaɪtɪs/
inflammation of the bile ducts
Etymology
'cholangitis' originates from New Latin/medical coinage, ultimately from Greek elements: 'chole' meaning 'bile', 'angeion' meaning 'vessel' or 'duct', plus the suffix '-itis' meaning 'inflammation'.
'cholangitis' was formed in New Latin/medical terminology from the combining form 'cholangio-' (from Greek 'chole' + 'angeion') plus the Greek-derived suffix '-itis'; it entered English via medical Latin in the 19th–20th centuries.
Initially coined to denote inflammation of bile vessels/ducts, its meaning has remained essentially the same and is used in modern medicine to denote inflammation (often infectious) of the bile ducts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
inflammation of the bile ducts (the tubular channels that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine).
The patient was diagnosed with cholangitis and started on antibiotics.
Synonyms
Noun 2
specifically, an acute bacterial infection of the biliary tract often associated with obstruction (often referred to as ascending cholangitis).
Ascending cholangitis is a medical emergency that can follow bile duct obstruction.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/30 10:21