noun

remission

rih-MISH-un/rɪˈmɪʃn/

A reduction or disappearance of the signs of an illness.

Her cancer is in remission, but she still needs checkups.

A recovering adult walks comfortably through a garden, with a small medical chart showing a curve falling toward baseline; no claim of permanent cure.

Etymology

reLatinback

+missLatinsend, let go

+ionLatinact or process

From “sending back” came the sense of slackening or diminishing. Applied to disease, remission describes symptoms subsiding or losing force, including subsidence that may be temporary.

In context

Research To Practice11:11

when you've had a complete remission except for one spot and that's the only spot and you followed and followed and you don't see anything else.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Anal Canal — An Interview with Dr Marwan Fakih

More examples

The treatment brings her leukemia into remission.
Partial remission means some signs of the illness remain.
His illness follows a pattern of remissions and relapses.

Forms

remission · remissions

Similar words

improvement: Means any positive change, not necessarily a distinct easing of illness.
recovery: Emphasizes returning to health; remission does not necessarily mean cure.