phrenitis

English

Etymology

From Latin phrenītis, from Ancient Greek φρενῖτις, from φρήν (“mind”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /fɹəˈnʌɪtɪs/
• (US) IPA: /fɹəˈnaɪdəs/

Noun

phrenitis (plural phrenitides)

1. (historical, medicine) Madness, especially as caused by inflammation of the brain; meningitis.
   • 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, Book I, New York 2001, p. 140:

     Phrenitis, which the Greeks derive from the word φρήν, is a disease of the mind, with a continual madness or dotage [...].

Anagrams

• nephritis