Standard Lemma guide

cellulitis

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌsɛl.jʊˈlaɪ.tɪs/
  • General-American: /ˌsɛl.jəˈlaɪ.tɪs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪtɪs

1

noun

Meaning 1

An inflammation of subcutaneous or connective tissue caused by a bacterial infection.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an inflammation of body tissue (especially that below the skin) characterized by fever and swelling and redness and pain

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: inflammation, redness, rubor

History

Etymology

Learned borrowing from New Latin cellulitis. By surface analysis, cellule + -itis. Doublet of cellulite. First attested in the 1840s.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 蜂窩組織炎 /蜂窝组织炎 (fēngwōzǔzhīyán) — subcutaneous inflammation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 蜂窩織炎 /蜂窝织炎 (fēngwōzhīyán) — subcutaneous inflammation
  • Dutch: cellulitis — subcutaneous inflammation
  • Finnish: selluliitti — subcutaneous inflammation
  • Korean: 봉와직염 (bong'wajigyeom) — subcutaneous inflammation
  • Korean: 연조직염 (yeonjojigyeom) — subcutaneous inflammation
  • Polish: zapalenie tkanki łącznej — subcutaneous inflammation
  • Polish: cellulitis — subcutaneous inflammation
  • Portuguese: celulite — subcutaneous inflammation
  • Spanish: celulitis — subcutaneous inflammation
  • Spanish: inflamación celulítica — subcutaneous inflammation