Subitus

Subitus is a Latin adjective meaning sudden or abrupt. In classical and ecclesiastical Latin, it is used to describe events, appearances, or conditions that arise without warning. The term appears in Latin prose in contexts where a noun may be understood from context, similar to how English uses the word sudden to modify a noun.

In English-language scholarship, subitus is not adopted as a standalone term. It is typically discussed as part of linguistic or historical study of Latin vocabulary, or encountered in translations of Latin medical or scholarly texts where the concept of sudden onset is described. When modern writers need to express the idea, they usually use English equivalents such as sudden or sudden onset, rather than the Latin form.

Etymology and usage notes: Subitus derives from the Latin adjective meaning sudden. It is treated as a historical or linguistic term rather than a current medical or scientific designation. In most contemporary contexts, the word is not used to name a disease or syndrome.

See also: sudden onset, subito, subitaneous, acute. References to subitus are generally found in Latin dictionaries and discussions of classical language; modern medical and scientific references do not designate a condition by this term.