What does diabetes mean?
Diabetes is a chronic medical condition in which the body fails to regulate blood glucose properly. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas; in type 2, by far the more common form, body cells become resistant to insulin's effects. A third form, gestational diabetes, arises temporarily during pregnancy. Left unmanaged, persistently high blood sugar damages blood vessels and nerves over time, contributing to heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and other complications, though modern treatments allow many people to manage the condition well. The word comes from the Greek "diabētēs," meaning "siphon," reflecting how early physicians described the excessive urination characteristic of the disease. Used as an uncountable noun, "diabetes" appears constantly in medical writing, public-health discussion, and everyday conversation about diet and health.
A chronic metabolic disorder characterized by abnormally high blood glucose levels resulting from deficient insulin production (type 1) or ineffective insulin action (type 2).
"His family has a strong history of diabetes."
Uncountable; takes singular verb agreement. Usually refers to diabetes mellitus unless otherwise specified.
Either of two rarer disorders involving excessive urination without abnormal blood sugar — specifically diabetes insipidus — when distinguished explicitly from diabetes mellitus.
"Unlike diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus involves no elevation of blood glucose."
This sense always requires the full compound name "diabetes insipidus"; "diabetes" alone never carries this meaning in ordinary use.
"Diabetes" is an uncountable (mass) noun with no plural form. To refer to individual instances, speakers say "cases of diabetes."
"Doctors are seeing more cases of diabetes in younger adults."
The word "diabetes" comes from a Greek term meaning "siphon" — ancient physicians named it for the way patients seemed to pass fluid straight through their bodies.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of diabetes
"Diabetes" derives from the Greek "diabētēs," literally "a siphon" or "one that passes through," formed from "dia-" (through) plus "bainein" (to go). Ancient Greek physicians applied the term to conditions marked by copious urine flow, and the phrase "diabetes mellitus" was later coined to distinguish the sweet-tasting urine of the sugar disorder from the bland urine of what became known as "diabetes insipidus." The word entered English via Latin in the early 17th century.
Related word forms
How diabetes is actually used
"Diabetes" is an uncountable noun and takes singular agreement. In everyday use it almost always refers to diabetes mellitus; the rare condition "diabetes insipidus" must be named in full to avoid confusion. Clinically precise contexts often use the full Latin term "diabetes mellitus."
Easily confused with diabetes
"Diabetes" is the disease itself, while "diabetics" is the plural noun for people who have the disease.