Gout

[Fr. goutte; Sp. góta; It. gotta; Lat. gutta, a drop; probably akin to Gr. chutos, poured, shed, from chèo, to pour, to shed.] ( Med.) A painful disease of the joints, generally of the feet or hands, and more partienlarly of the great toes. It occurs mostly in persons advanced in life, and who indulge freely in the pleasures of the table; and is hereditary. The attack is usually preceded by a disordered state of the digestive system, and commonly begins by a painful swelling of the first gouty affections.