diabetes

noun

di·​a·​be·​tes ˌdī-ə-ˈbē-tēz How to pronounce diabetes (audio) -ˈbē-təs How to pronounce diabetes (audio)
: any of various abnormal conditions characterized by the secretion and excretion of excessive amounts of urine
especially : diabetes mellitus

Examples of diabetes in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In addition to declining hormonal levels, causes of low libido in women can include relationship problems, anxiety or depression, and metabolic conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes. —Akshay Syal, M.d., NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024 Anxiety can have measurable health effects, including activating high levels of stress hormones related to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease and more. —Monica Eng, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024 Semaglutide compounders could be next: Novo Nordisk has asked the FDA to bar compounding pharmacies from making compounds of its weight loss and diabetes drugs, arguing the medication is too complex for it to be manufactured by others safely. —Jackie Snow, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024 While employers generally cover these drugs for diabetes, coverage for weight-loss purposes is mixed. —Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for diabetes 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English diabet, diabete, borrowed from Late Latin diabētēs, borrowed from Greek diabḗtēs, from diabē-, variant stem of diabaínein "to stride, walk or stand with legs apart, step across, cross over" (from dia- dia- + baínein "to step, walk") + -tēs, suffix of agency — more at come entry 1

Note: The literal sense of Greek diabḗtēs in relation to the base verb diabaínein is not entirely clear. The Greek physician Aretaeus of Cappadocia (active ca. 130-40 A.D.), author of a detailed description of diabetes mellitus (in Book 2 of De causis et signis diuturnorum morborum), takes the name of the disorder as a given, and explains it as a particular application of the word diabḗtēs, the meaning of which he seems to regard as self-evident. It has been assumed that he alludes to diabḗtēs in the sense "siphon," referring to frequent urination, as if liquid was being drawn out of the sufferer by a siphon. In the following clause, however, he maintains that moisture (tò hygrón) does not stay in the body but leaves it "as if by a diabáthrē ("hókōs diabáthrēi")." The word diabáthra (Ionic diabáthrē)—also a derivative of diabaínein—has various attested meanings: "ladder," "gangway," "bridge." The suggestion has been made that "bridge" or "channel" is the most appropriate sense, though the mixing of metaphors is perhaps an indication that the text is corrupt, or that some no longer recoverable sense of the word is in play. (See discussion in Chalmers L. Gemmill, "The Greek concept of diabetes," Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, vol. 48, no. 8 [September, 1972], pp. 1033-36.)

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of diabetes was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing diabetes

Dictionary Entries Near diabetes

diabatic

diabetes

diabetes insipidus

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Diabetes.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diabetes. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

diabetes

noun
di·​a·​be·​tes ˌdī-ə-ˈbēt-ēz How to pronounce diabetes (audio) -ˈbēt-əs How to pronounce diabetes (audio)
: any of various bodily conditions in which abnormally large amounts of urine are produced
especially : diabetes mellitus

Medical Definition

diabetes

noun
di·​a·​be·​tes ˌdī-ə-ˈbēt-ēz How to pronounce diabetes (audio) -ˈbēt-əs How to pronounce diabetes (audio)
plural diabetes
: any of various abnormal conditions characterized by the secretion and excretion of excessive amounts of urine
especially : diabetes mellitus

More from Merriam-Webster on diabetes

Nglish: Translation of diabetes for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of diabetes for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about diabetes

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