Final answer:
The term that refers to inflammation of the kidney is nephritis, which includes various conditions like pyelonephritis and glomerulonephritis, both serious infections with different causes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that means inflammation of the kidney is nephritis. This condition can involve different types of kidney inflammation, such as pyelonephritis, which is an infection of the kidneys that often develops from a lower urinary tract infection, and glomerulonephritis, which occurs when the glomeruli of the nephrons are damaged from inflammation.
Although both conditions are serious and involve inflammation of the kidney, they have different causes and can lead to varying complications like renal failure or chronic kidney disease.