# sepsis

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsɛpsɪs/ · frequency rank #28,714

## Definitions
1. A serious medical condition in which the whole body is inflamed, causing injury to its own tissues and organs as a response to infection.

## Etymology
coined by Hippocrates From Ancient Greek σῆψις (sêpsis, “putrefaction”), from σήπειν (sḗpein, “to make rotten”), from σήψ (sḗps, “a kind of lizard; also a kind of serpent whose bite was alleged to cause putrefaction”).

## Easily confused with
- **septic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepsis-vs-septic)
- **stasis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepsis-vs-stasis)
- **semis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/semis-vs-sepsis)
- **sepia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sepia-vs-sepsis)
- **senses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/senses-vs-sepsis)

## Common misspellings (9)
`espsis`, `sepiss`, `seppsis`, `sepsiss`, `sepssi`, `sepssis`, `sespis`, `spesis`, `ssepsis`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sepsis