n. An acute or chronic disease marked by inflammation of the lungs, usually caused by a bacterium, virus, or other infectious agent. [New Latin, from Greek pneumoniā, lung disease, alteration (influenced by pneuma, breath) of pleumoniā, from pleumōn, lung; see pleu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.