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rheumatism

(Science: medicine) A general disease characterised by painful, often multiple, local inflammations, usually affecting the joints and muscles, but also extending sometimes to the deeper organs, as the heart.

(Science: medicine) inflammatory rheumatism, acute rheumatism attended with fever, and attacking usually the larger joints, which become swollen, hot, and very painful. Rheumatism root.

(Science: botany) See twinleaf.

Origin: L. Rheumatismus rheum, Gr, fr. To have or suffer from a flux, fr. Rheum: cf. F. Rheumatisme. See 2d Rheum.