Pythagoras, the ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher, lived from around 570 BC to 495 BC. The term "diabetes" was first used by another Greek, Aretaeus of Cappadocia, who lived much later, around the 1st or 2nd century AD. Aretaeus is credited with coining the term "diabetes," which in Greek means "siphon," to describe the frequent and excessive urination associated with the condition.