Tendonitides

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Inflammations of fibrous connective tissues that attach muscles to bones, often resulting in pain and impaired movement
2. Conditions characterized by swelling and irritation of the bands linking muscles to bones, typically causing discomfort and restricted function
3. Disorders involving inflammation of the tough tissues connecting muscles to skeletal structures, usually presenting with tenderness and limited mobility

Etymology: "Tendonitides" is the plural of "tendonitis," so it names several cases of tendon inflammation at once. The plural follows the Greek and Latin pattern: "tendonitis" ends in the Greek-derived suffix "-itis," which is borrowed from Ancient Greek "-ῖτις" (-îtis), an adjective-forming ending often used in the sense "pertaining to" or, in medical use, "inflammation of." That suffix was carried into New Latin, and from there into English as "-itis." The first part, "tendon," comes from the Latin "tendo," meaning a sinew or tendon, a word related to "tendere," "to stretch." It is an old anatomical term, so the whole compound was built from classical materials to name a specific condition: tendon plus the inflammation suffix. Because the Latin plural of "-itis" words is "-itides," English writers form the plural as "tendonitides" in formal and medical writing, although "tendonitises" or "tendonitis" as an unchanged plural are also common in everyday use.

Synonyms: tendonitis, tendinitis