Di`a*be"tes (?), n. [NL., from Gr. ?,
fr. ? to pass or cross over. See Diabase.] (Med.)
A disease which is attended with a persistent, excessive
discharge of urine. Most frequently the urine is not only increased
in quantity, but contains saccharine matter, in which case the
disease is generally fatal.
||Diabetes mellitus [NL., sweet diabetes],
that form of diabetes in which the urine contains saccharine
matter. -- ||Diabetes insipidus [NL., lit.,
diabetes], the form of diabetes in which the urine contains no
abnormal constituent.