From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishencephalitisen‧ceph‧a‧li‧tis /ɪnˌkefəˈlaɪtɪs $ -ˌsef-/ noun [uncountable] medical swelling of the brain
Examples from the Corpus
encephalitis• Carbon monoxide or manganese poisoning and encephalitis are rare causes of the parkinsonian syndrome.• As a result he contracted encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain.• In the course of medical treatment he was given an injection of anti-tetanus serum as a result of which he contracted encephalitis.• The Songs had a relative living with them who was suffering from encephalitis and a baby only a few months old.• Seizures may occur as an early manifestation of meningitis, encephalitis, or cerebral abcess.• Furthermore, toxoplasma-specific in-vitro antibody production appears several months before the onset of encephalitis.• At least two deaths were directly attributed to encephalitis.• In-vitro production of toxoplasma-specific antibodies could improve the diagnosis of toxoplasmic encephalitis in HIV-1-infected patients.Origin encephalitis (1800-1900) Greek enkephalos “brain” + English -itis 