entry
diabetes
/ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/Metabolic disease causing persistently high blood sugar
From Greek dia (through) + Greek bainein (to go).
from Latin diabētēs (“siphon”)
from Latin diabētēs (“siphon”)
from Latin diabētēs (“siphon”)
from Latin diabētēs (“siphon”)
Word Ancestry
from Latin diabētēs (“siphon”)
from Latin diabētēs (“siphon”)
from Latin diabētēs (“siphon”)
from Latin diabētēs (“siphon”)
A doctor in the Roman East gave this disease a wonderfully vivid name: something that passes through. Aretaeus of Cappadocia, writing in the 2nd century, used the Greek idea of a siphon or a drafting compass—legs spread apart, fluid seeming to rush straight through the body. That image stuck so well that Latin medical writers kept it as diabētēs, and English eventually inherited it as diabetes. The root family is a neat one: the same Greek dia- turns up in diameter and diagnosis, while the walking idea in bainein shows up all over learned English in words like base and ambulate. Old English had a much blunter name for the condition too: pissing evil. Once you know the etymology, diabetes feels less like an abstract label and more like a body that has become a leaky passageway.
The Story
A doctor in the Roman East gave this disease a wonderfully vivid name: something that passes through. Aretaeus of Cappadocia, writing in the 2nd century, used the Greek idea of a siphon or a drafting compass—legs spread apart, fluid seeming to rush straight through the body. That image stuck so well that Latin medical writers kept it as diabētēs, and English eventually inherited it as diabetes. The root family is a neat one: the same Greek dia- turns up in diameter and diagnosis, while the walking idea in bainein shows up all over learned English in words like base and ambulate. Old English had a much blunter name for the condition too: pissing evil. Once you know the etymology, diabetes feels less like an abstract label and more like a body that has become a leaky passageway.
Modern Usage
Humorous, hyperbolic use for something extremely sugary, especially food or drink
Popularized by: internet humor and informal speech, with support from dictionary-style slang usage
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary-style uses
- playful references to very sweet drinks or desserts
Kin & Kindred
From 'dia'·through, across, thoroughly
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'bainein'·to go, step, walk
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary