hepatis

Hepatis is the Latin genitive singular of hepar, the classical term for the liver. In medical Latin, hepatis is used to indicate a relationship to the liver in compound terms and anatomical names, functioning similarly to the English adjective hepatic or to the prepositional phrase “of the liver.”

Etymology and usage: Hepar comes from the Greek hēpar; in Latin the genitive form hepatis is used to express possession or association, as in porta hepatis (the gate of the liver) and ligamentum teres hepatis (the round ligament of the liver). The form hepatis appears in various Latinized anatomical phrases to specify that something belongs to or relates to the liver.

Modern context: In contemporary English medical writing, hepatis is rarely used as a standalone word. It appears primarily within Latinized anatomical names and historical or international Latin documents. In everyday medical prose, terms such as hepatic (the liver-related) or “of the liver” are preferred. The term is distinct from hepatitis, which denotes inflammation of the liver and combines the English root hepat- with the suffix -itis, rather than using the Latin genitive hepatis.

See also: hepatic, hepato- prefix, hepatitis, porta hepatis, ligamentum teres hepatis, hepar.