inflamación

inflammation; swelling

noun een-flah-mah-SYOHN Rare

Origin: From Latin inflammatio, from inflammare (to set on fire).

Usage Note

Inflamación is both the medical term for the body's inflammatory response (inflamación aguda — acute inflammation) and the everyday word for a swollen area. The verb is inflamar and the adjective inflamado. It is a false friend with English 'inflammation' only in the sense that the Spanish word has no additional 'outrage' connotation — that requires indignación.

Examples

"El médico diagnosticó una inflamación en la rodilla."

Natural Translation

The doctor diagnosed inflammation in the knee.

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