/ ˈruːmətɪzəm; NAmE / noun
[ U ] a disease that makes the muscles and joints painful, stiff and swollen
► rheum·at·ic / ruˈmætɪk; NAmE / adjective :
rheumatic pains
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WORD ORIGIN
late 17th cent.: from French rhumatisme , or via Latin from Greek rheumatismos , from rheumatizein to snuffle, from rheuma stream: the disease was originally supposed to be caused by the internal flow of “watery” humours.