Inflammation of the joints in the hand or fingers, a form of arthritis affecting the hands specifically.
Combination of Greek cheir (hand), arthro- (joint), and -itis (inflammation). This medical term directly describes where the inflammation occurs by naming the body part, following classical medical terminology patterns.
Medieval doctors essentially invented predictable medical vocabulary by combining Greek roots like building blocks—once you knew what cheir-, arthro-, and -itis meant separately, you could instantly understand a disease you'd never heard of before!
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