Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun Pathology.
- any of several disorders characterized by increased urine production.
- Also called diabe·tes mel·li·tus [mel-i-tuh s, muh-lahy-] /ˈmɛl ɪ təs, məˈlaɪ-/. a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism, usually occurring in genetically predisposed individuals, characterized by inadequate production or utilization of insulin and resulting in excessive amounts of glucose in the blood and urine, excessive thirst, weight loss, and in some cases progressive destruction of small blood vessels leading to such complications as infections and gangrene of the limbs or blindness.
- Also called type 1 diabetes, insulin-dependent diabetes, juvenile diabetes. a severe form of diabetes mellitus in which insulin production by the beta cells of the pancreas is impaired, usually resulting in dependence on externally administered insulin, the onset of the disease typically occurring before the age of 25.
- Also called type 2 diabetes, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, adult-onset diabetes, maturity-onset diabetes. a mild, sometimes asymptomatic form of diabetes mellitus characterized by diminished tissue sensitivity to insulin and sometimes by impaired beta cell function, exacerbated by obesity and often treatable by diet and exercise.
- Also called diabe·tes in·sip·i·dus [in-sip-i-duh s] /ɪnˈsɪp ɪ dəs/. increased urine production caused by inadequate secretion of vasopressin by the pituary gland.
noun
- any of various disorders, esp diabetes mellitus, characterized by excretion of an abnormally large amount of urine
1560s, from medical Latin diabetes, from late Greek diabetes “excessive discharge of urine” (so named by Aretaeus the Cappadocian, physician of Alexandria, 2c.), literally “a passer-through, siphon,” from diabainein “to pass through,” from dia- “through” (see dia-) + bainein “to go” (see come).
An old common native name for it was pissing evil. In classical Greek, diabainein meant “to stand or walk with the legs apart,” and diabetes meant “a drafting compass,” from the position of the legs.
n.
- Insulin-dependent diabetes.
n.
- Any of several metabolic disorders marked by excessive discharge of urine and persistent thirst, especially one of the two types of diabetes mellitus.