Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gingivitis” come from?

Gingivitis comes from Latin gingiva, the gum of the mouth, from Proto-Indo-European ǵyewh₁-, meaning to chew or jaw.

gingivitis (English): Inflammation of the gums or gingivae

Definitions

  1. Inflammation of the gums or gingivae

Ancestry of “gingivitis”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-itisSuffix denoting diseases characterized by...
2New Latin-ītis—
3Ancient Greek-ῖτιςfemale equivalent of -ίτης

Words derived from “gingivitis”

  • antigingivitis
  • antigingivitic
  • gingivitic
Every word from Ancient Greek -ῖτις →