What does uteritis mean?
Uteritis is the formal medical term for inflammation of the uterus. It may be used in human medicine, but it is especially common in veterinary writing, where uterine inflammation can follow infection, injury, or childbirth. The term is a straightforward combination of the Latin word for the uterus and the suffix -itis, meaning inflammation, and it carries a clinical rather than everyday tone. Because the uterus contains several tissue layers, a more specific diagnosis may be preferred when the affected layer can be identified: endometritis refers to the inner lining, while myometritis refers to the muscular layer. Uteritis therefore functions as a broader name within a technical vocabulary, not as a synonym for all pelvic pain or menstrual discomfort. Its strongest practical association is with animal health, particularly postpartum illness in livestock, while the same basic meaning applies across English-speaking medical usage. Knowing the word helps distinguish inflammation of the uterus itself from nearby conditions involving the cervix, ovaries, or urinary tract.
nounInflammation of the uterus. The term is used in human and veterinary medicine and may refer to inflammation affecting one or more layers of the uterine wall.
- Inflammation of the uterus, occurring in humans or animals and sometimes associated with infection, injury, or childbirth.
"The cow's fever and foul-smelling discharge after calving were diagnosed as uteritis."
"Doctors considered uteritis when the patient developed fever and uterine discharge after surgery."
"The cow's fever and foul-smelling discharge after calving were diagnosed as uteritis."
The plural is rare; the term is normally used in the singular or attributively when naming the condition.
"The chapter compares the clinical features of several uteritides."
Uteritis is almost its own definition: uterus plus the medical suffix -itis, meaning inflammation.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of uteritis
Uteritis combines the Latin word uterus, meaning the uterus, with the Greek-derived medical suffix -itis, meaning inflammation. The Latin base also appears in English words such as uterine and uteroscopy. Its straightforward formation reflects the conventions of medical terminology, in which -itis is widely used to name inflammatory conditions.
How uteritis is actually used
A formal medical term used more often in veterinary contexts and specialist writing than in general human medicine. When the affected uterine layer can be identified, a more specific clinical term may be preferred.
Easily confused with uteritis
Endometritis is inflammation specifically of the endometrium, the uterine lining, whereas uteritis is the broader term for inflammation of the uterus.
Metritis is a close synonym, especially in veterinary medicine, but it commonly refers more specifically to inflammation or infection of uterine tissue, often after childbirth.