The medical term "dacryocystitis" is composed of three parts derived from Greek: "dacryo-" meaning tear, "cyst-" meaning sac, and "-itis" meaning inflammation. Therefore, dacryocystitis literally translates to inflammation of the lacrimal sac (tear sac). This sac is part of the nasolacrimal apparatus, which is responsible for tear drainage. The inflammation is typically caused by an obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct, leading to a backup of tears and subsequent infection within the sac.

A. Cornea: Inflammation of the cornea is medically termed keratitis.

B. Fingernail: Inflammation of the tissue surrounding a fingernail is known as paronychia.

C. Eardrum: Inflammation of the eardrum, or tympanic membrane, is called myringitis.

1. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

StatPearls Publishing. Ali

M. J.

& Joshi

S. (2023). Dacryocystitis. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. "Dacryocystitis is an infection of the lacrimal sac

secondary to obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct at the level of the valve of Hasner." (PMID: 31751054).

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2023). ICD-10-CM Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. In Chapter 7: Diseases of the Eye and Adnexa (H00-H59)

the code block H04.3 is titled "Acute and unspecified inflammation of lacrimal passages

" which explicitly includes dacryocystitis.

3. Johns Hopkins Medicine

Wilmer Eye Institute. Dacryocystitis. "Dacryocystitis is an infection of the lacrimal sac

which is located in the inner corner of the eye." This resource is part of the university's official medical documentation.