lupus
n. uncountablen. a serious medical condition where your body's defense system attacks your own healthy skin, joints, and organs. It often causes a red rash on the face and makes you feel very tired.
n. a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues and organs. Characterised by systemic inflammation and often presenting with a distinctive butterfly-shaped facial rash.
She was diagnosed with lupus after experiencing joint pain and fatigue.
Because lupus symptoms often mimic other illnesses, it can take doctors a long time to reach a definitive diagnosis.
The patient's systemic lupus erythematosus required a complex treatment plan involving immunosuppressants to prevent the body from further damaging its own renal and cardiovascular systems.
From Latin lupus (“wolf”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Often used in the full medical form 'systemic lupus erythematosus' in clinical contexts.
Last updated May 7, 2026