What does cholecystitis mean?
Cholecystitis is the medical term for inflammation of the gallbladder, a small pear-shaped organ that stores bile. The condition is most commonly associated with a gallstone blocking the cystic duct, which prevents bile from leaving the gallbladder and provokes irritation and swelling. Cholecystitis may be acute, causing sudden severe upper-abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and tenderness, or chronic, involving persistent or recurring inflammation. It is a formal clinical term, so doctors may say that a patient has “cholecystitis” without specifying whether infection is present, since the inflammation is the central fact. Although it can occur without stones, gallstone-related disease is the classic presentation. The word is useful because it names a specific, potentially serious condition rather than the broader symptom of “gallbladder problems.” Knowing it helps distinguish the disease itself from gallstones or the operation used to treat it, and it explains why symptoms can persist even when no obvious cause is apparent.
nounInflammation of the gallbladder, most commonly caused by a gallstone obstructing the cystic duct and preventing bile from draining normally.
- Inflammation of the gallbladder, especially when associated with obstruction of the cystic duct by a gallstone.
"Acute cholecystitis required urgent medical attention and treatment."
"Her severe abdominal pain and fever were eventually diagnosed as acute cholecystitis."
"The hospital treated hundreds of patients with cholecystitis using a combination of antibiotics and surgery."
The plural is uncommon because the word is normally used as the name of a disease or in singular clinical labels.
"The record noted two separate cases of cholecystitis."
Cholecystitis often begins when a gallstone blocks the tube draining the gallbladder, sometimes turning a familiar digestive organ into a medical emergency.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does cholecystitis come from?
The word was formed in New Latin from the Greek roots cholē, meaning “bile,” and kystis, meaning “bladder,” together with the suffix -itis, meaning “inflammation.” The elements were combined because the gallbladder is the organ in which bile is stored. Its Greek-derived components remain recognizable in related medical terms such as cystitis and cholecystectomy.
Related word forms
How cholecystitis is actually used
This is a formal medical term used mainly in clinical contexts. It may describe either acute or chronic inflammation and does not inherently imply that the gallbladder is infected.
Easily confused with cholecystitis
Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder, whereas cholecystectomy is the surgical removal of the gallbladder.