RHEUMATISM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does rheumatism mean? 

• RHEUMATISM (noun)
  The noun RHEUMATISM has 2 senses:

1. any painful disorder of the joints or muscles or connective tissues

2. a chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints and marked deformities; something (possibly a virus) triggers an attack on the synovium by the immune system, which releases cytokines that stimulate an inflammatory reaction that can lead to the destruction of all components of the joint

  Familiarity information: RHEUMATISM used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RHEUMATISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any painful disorder of the joints or muscles or connective tissues

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("rheumatism" is a kind of...):

disease (an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning)

Derivation:

rheumatic (of or pertaining to arthritis)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints and marked deformities; something (possibly a virus) triggers an attack on the synovium by the immune system, which releases cytokines that stimulate an inflammatory reaction that can lead to the destruction of all components of the joint

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

atrophic arthritis; rheumatism; rheumatoid arthritis

Hypernyms ("rheumatism" is a kind of...):

arthritis (inflammation of a joint or joints)

autoimmune disease; autoimmune disorder (any of a large group of diseases characterized by abnormal functioning of the immune system that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against your own tissues)

Domain category:

virus ((virology) ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts; many are pathogenic; a piece of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) wrapped in a thin coat of protein)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rheumatism"):

psoriatic arthritis (a form of rheumatoid arthritis usually affecting fingers and toes and associated with psoriasis)

juvenile rheumatoid arthritis; Still's disease (a form of rheumatoid arthritis that affects children; large joints become inflamed and bone growth may be retarded)

Derivation:

rheumatic (of or pertaining to arthritis)

 Context examples 

Bay fruit oil can be used for its anti-rheumatism effects.

(Bay Fruit Oil, NCI Thesaurus)

Did not you hear him complain of the rheumatism? and is not that the commonest infirmity of declining life?

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

A question about whether an individual has arthritis, rheumatism, bursitis, lupus or Sjogren's syndrome.

(Have Arthritis, Rheumatism, Bursitis, Lupus or Sjogren Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent with analgesic properties used in the therapy of rheumatism and arthritis.

(Ibuprofen, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

The friends of Mr. Sherlock Holmes will be glad to learn that he is still alive and well, though somewhat crippled by occasional attacks of rheumatism.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Devil's claw has been used as a tonic, as a hypoglycemic, to cleanse the lymph system, and in the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism, and skin cancer.

(Devils Claw, NCI Thesaurus)

Devil's claw has been used as a tonic, as a hypoglycemic, to cleanse the lymph system, and in the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism.

(Devil's Foot/Jambul, NCI Thesaurus)

Artemisia vulgaris top oil has antiseptic properties and is used in treatments for arthritis, rheumatism, and strained muscles.

(Artemisia Vulgaris Top Oil, NCI Thesaurus)

A horse so treated would develop a slight lameness, which would be put down to a strain in exercise or a touch of rheumatism, but never to foul play.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Horse chestnut oil is used topically as a treatment for rheumatism and phlebitis.

(Aesculus hippocastanum Seed Fluid Extract, NCI Thesaurus)