Origin: Greek suffix -ology
Pathology has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
the branch of medical science that studies the causes and nature and effects of diseases
"The doctor spent her career dedicated to research in pathology, where she studied the underlying causes and mechanisms of various diseases."
any deviation from a healthy or normal condition
"The doctor suspected that the patient's chronic fatigue was not merely exhaustion but a sign of an underlying pathology involving the immune system."
The branch of medicine concerned with the study of the nature of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences.
"The researcher dedicated her career to pathology to understand the underlying mechanisms of rare genetic disorders."
In plain English: Pathology is the study of diseases and how they change what parts of your body look like inside.
"The doctor ordered blood tests to check for any underlying pathology before starting treatment."
Usage: Pathology refers specifically to the medical field that studies diseases rather than general health or wellness. Use this term when discussing how illnesses develop and their underlying biological mechanisms instead of broader concepts like epidemiology or therapeutics.
The word pathology comes from the French term pathologie, which itself derives from Ancient Greek. It combines roots meaning "suffering" or "disease" with a suffix indicating the study of that condition to describe the branch of medicine concerned with disease.