What does rheumatism mean?
Rheumatism is an old-fashioned English noun referring to rheumatic disease, pain, or stiffness, particularly in the joints. In older writing, it could serve as a broad medical label for several conditions associated with rheumatic inflammation, including what would now be described more specifically as rheumatoid arthritis or rheumatic fever. The term is still understood, but it is much less common in contemporary medical language, where more precise diagnoses are preferred. In everyday expression, “rheumatics” can refer to aches or stiffness attributed to rheumatism, as in the phrase “a touch of the rheumatics.” The word is especially characteristic of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century prose, family recollections, and historical accounts of illness. Its modern interest lies partly in the history of medicine and partly in the way it survives in expressions such as “chronic rheumatism” and “rheumatic fever.”
nounAn old-fashioned term for rheumatic disease, pain, or stiffness, especially affecting the joints.
- An old-fashioned term for rheumatic disease, pain, or stiffness, especially affecting the joints.
- A dated collective term for rheumatism as a condition affecting a person, particularly in expressions concerning personal history or medical description.
"Her mother suffered from rheumatism in her later years."
"The doctor diagnosed the condition as rheumatism."
"She attributed her stiffness to old rheumatism."
The plural is rare and generally appears in literary or historical contexts rather than modern medical writing.
"The chronic rheumatisms affected several members of the family."
The word “rheumatism” carries the memory of Greek rheuma, meaning a flow or discharge: it was once associated with bodily fluids flowing badly.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rheumatism come from?
Rheumatism comes through Latin rheumatismus from Greek rheumatismos, a term associated with rheuma, meaning a flow or discharge. The Greek words were linked to the older medical idea that rheumatic illness resulted from abnormal flows of bodily fluids. The modern word entered English through Latin and was later influenced by the suffix “-ism,” which forms nouns denoting conditions or doctrines. Related English forms include “rheumatic,” “rheumatoid,” and “rheumatology.”
Related word forms
How rheumatism is actually used
The word is now dated in general medical use and is most often encountered in historical texts, literary works, and the phrase “rheumatism in his legs.” “Rheumatics” is a still-used informal expression for rheumatic pain or stiffness, while “rheumatic fever” and “rheumatoid arthritis” remain precise medical terms.
Easily confused with rheumatism
Rheumatism is an old general term for rheumatic illness or pain, whereas rheumatitis specifically names inflammation of the joints.