osteoarthritis

noun

os·​te·​o·​ar·​thri·​tis ˌä-stē-ō-är-ˈthrī-təs 

: a common form of arthritis typically with onset during middle or old age that is characterized by progressive degenerative changes in the cartilage of one or more joints (as of the knees, hips, and hands) accompanied by thickening and overgrowth of adjacent bone and that is marked symptomatically chiefly by stiffness, swelling, pain, deformation of joints, and loss of range of motion

—abbreviation OA compare rheumatoid arthritis

osteoarthritic

ˌä-stē-ō-är-ˈthri-tik 

adjective

Examples of osteoarthritis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Previous research has found that bariatric surgery, which can also lead to significant weight loss, improved knee pain and function in people with osteoarthritis. —Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024

But that stopped in 2021 when veterinarians found osteoarthritis in his elbow − the most common site of the condition in dogs, according to vets. —Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 8 Nov. 2024

As the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center notes, overweight women have almost four times the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis when compared to non-obese women. —Joseph Choi, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2024

Participants had an average age of 56, and roughly 80% of the cohort were women, who experience osteoarthritis at higher rates than men do. —Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

osteoarthritis

noun

os·​teo·​ar·​thri·​tis

ˌäs-tē-ō-är-ˈthrīt-əs

: arthritis marked by the breakdown of cartilage and bone of joints

Medical Definition

osteoarthritis

noun

os·​teo·​ar·​thri·​tis ˌäs-tē-ō-är-ˈthrīt-əs 

plural osteoarthritides -ˈthrit-ə-ˌdēz 

: a common form of arthritis typically with onset during middle or old age that is characterized by progressive degenerative changes in the cartilage of one or more joints (as of the knees, hips, and hands) accompanied by thickening and overgrowth of adjacent bone and that is marked symptomatically chiefly by stiffness, swelling, pain, deformation of joints, and loss of range of motion

—abbreviation OA

called also degenerative arthritis, degenerative joint disease, hypertrophic arthritis

compare rheumatoid arthritis

osteoarthritic

-ˈthrit-ik 

adjective

Treatment for hand and finger osteoarthritis has the same goals as treatment for any osteoarthritic joint: pain reduction, mobility maintenance and minimization of disability.

—Paul G. Donohue, The Springfield (Massachusetts) Union-News