rheumatic

play

adjective rheu·mat·ic \ru̇-ˈma-tik\

Definition of rheumatic

: of, relating to, characteristic of, or affected with rheumatism

rheumatically

play \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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Recent Examples of rheumatic from the Web

The disease is mostly a relic of the past in rich and middle-income countries, where pediatricians quickly treat strep throat and rheumatic fever in children, which causes the joint pain once called childhood rheumatism.

— donald g. mcneil jr., New York Times, "Scientists Link a Gene Mutation to Rheumatic Heart Disease," 29 May 2017
That connection was strengthened by immunologist Madeleine Cunningham, a rheumatic fever expert from the University of Oklahoma.

— pamela weintraub, Discover Magazine, "Hidden Invaders," 29 Mar. 2017
Symptoms of heart valve damage often don’t appear until many years after recovery from rheumatic fever.

— martha ross, The Mercury News, "Bill Paxton’s death related to heart defect and possibly to childhood illness," 7 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rheumatic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of rheumatic

Middle English rewmatik subject to rheum, from Anglo-French reumatike, from Latin rheumaticus, from Greek rheumatikos, from rheumat-, rheuma

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1711

See Words from the same year