The Etymology of Diabetes: Exploring the Origins of the Term

The word "diabetes," like many medical terms, is derived from Latin and Greek.

Ancient Greek

• The ancient Greek word "diabetes" meant "a siphon" or "a passer through." The word came from "diabainein," which meant "to pass through," which in turn came from the prefix "dia-," which meant "through," and "bainein," which meant "to go."

Aretus the Cappadocian

• Aretus the Cappadocian, a doctor in second-century Greece, was the first to apply the word "diabetes" to the disease. We believe he chose the word because he observed patients with the disease passing water like a siphon.

Latin

• The Latin word "diabetes" was derived from the Greek word.

English

• The English word "diabetes" was derived from the Latin. The earliest known English usage was in 1562.

Diabetic

• The English word "diabetic" is more recent than the word "diabetes." "Diabetic" was first used in 1840.