encephalitis

noun/ɛnˌsɛfəˈlaɪtɪs/

Frequency rank: #15,993 most common English word

Meaning

inflammation of the brain, usually caused by a viral infection.

Illustration for the English word “encephalitis”

Example sentence

The doctor explained that encephalitis can cause severe brain swelling if left untreated.

Practice this word in the quiz

More words in ranks 15,901–16,000