encephalitis Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun inflammation of the brain usually caused by a virus; symptoms include headache and neck pain and drowsiness and nausea and fever (`phrenitis' is no longer in scientific use)
    phrenitis; cephalitis.

WordNet

En*ceph`a*li"tis noun
Etymology
NL., from Gr. the brain + -itis.
Definitions
  1. (Med.) Inflammation of the brain. -- En`ceph*a*lit"ic a.

Webster 1913