Definition of "tonsillitis" [ton•sil•li•tis]

• Inflammation of the tonsils. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "By tonsillitis the inflammation of the tonsils is principally to be understood; but as all inflammations generally spread further than the part first affected; so, when the summit of the windpipe is also much inflamed, it may be termed tonsillitis trachealis, or croup."
• "; and when the summit of the gullet is much inflamed along with the tonsil, it may be called tonsillitis pharyngea, as described in Dr. Cullen's Nosologia, Genus"
• "Amoxil is used to treat many different types of infections, such as tonsillitis, pneumonia, ear infections, bronchitis, urinary tract infections, gonorrhea, and infections of the skin."