Diarrhea: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Meaning 1：diarrhea (Diarrhea)

Diarrhea 🔊

/ˌdaɪəˈriːə/

A condition where you need to go to the toilet often and your bowel movements are loose and watery.

diarrhea 🔊

➕

/ˌdaɪəˈriːə/

A medical condition where bowel movements become frequent, loose, and watery, often caused by infection or food intolerance.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Greek 'diárrhoia' (dia- 'through' + rhein 'to flow'), literally 'a flowing through'.

💡 Mnemonic

Dia (through) + rhea (flow) – imagine water rushing through a pipe – that's diarrhea.

📖 Example

The traveler had to cancel all his plans because he was suffering from a bad case of diarrhea after trying the local street food. 🔊 The traveler had to cancel all his plans because he was suffering from a bad case of diarrhea after trying the local street food.

🔗 Collocations

have diarrhea – to experience frequent, loose bowel movements

suffer from diarrhea – to be affected by diarrhea, often with discomfort

acute diarrhea – a sudden and severe episode of diarrhea

🔄 Synonyms

loose stools (n.) – bowel movements that are watery and not formed

the runs (n.) – informal term for diarrhea

dysentery (n.) – a more severe form of diarrhea often with blood and mucus

🚫 Antonyms

constipation (n.) – a condition where bowel movements are infrequent or difficult to pass

🌱 Derivatives

diarrheal (adj.) – relating to or characteristic of diarrhea

diarrhetic (adj.) – causing or relating to diarrhea

📖 Cultural Story

The term originated in ancient Greek medicine, describing the rapid passage of waste. It became a standard medical term in the 16th century, often linked to food poisoning and infections.