Word
diabetes
Phoneticsdi·a·betes
US/ˌdaɪəˈbitiz/
UK/daɪəbˈiːtiːz/
Definitions
01medical condition
n. a serious disease where your body cannot properly process sugar, often requiring medicine or a special diet.
n. a chronic metabolic disease, specifically diabetes mellitus, characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose due to insulin deficiency or resistance.
“He has to check his blood sugar levels every day because of his diabetes.”
“Type 2 diabetes is often managed through a combination of dietary intervention, regular physical activity, and pharmacological treatments to maintain glycemic control.”
Technical
Usage
Usually uncountable and used without an article.
Synonyms
02sugary food
n. a funny way to describe food or drinks that have a huge amount of sugar.
n. a hyperbolic reference to food or beverages containing excessive sugar content.
“That giant chocolate milkshake looks like diabetes in a cup.”
“The dessert menu was essentially a list of various forms of diabetes, featuring triple-layered cakes and syrup-drenched pastries.”
Humorous · Slang · Informal
Teaching tip
This usage is common in casual internet culture but can be seen as insensitive to people who actually have the medical condition.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin diabētēs (“siphon”), from Ancient Greek διαβήτης (diabḗtēs), from Ancient Greek διαβαίνω (diabaínō, “to pass through”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/diabetes