pathology
UK[pəˈθɒlədʒi]US[pəˈθɑːlədʒi]
n
The scientific study of the causes and effects of diseases, especially the branch of medicine that deals with the laboratory examination of samples of body tissue for diagnostic or forensic purposes.
n
The typical behavior or characteristics of a particular disorder or disease.
n
A deviation from a healthy, normal, or efficient condition; an abnormality.
Morpheme Breakdown
patho
logy
patho
suffering, disease
logy
study of
Etymology
The word pathology is a direct borrowing from post-classical Latin pathologia, which itself was formed from Greek elements. The Greek root pathos carried a broad sense of "what one suffers," encompassing experience, emotion, and misfortune, which narrowed in medical terminology to specifically denote "disease." The suffix -logia signified a discourse or study. Thus, the literal construction "study of suffering" evolved into the modern scientific discipline focused on the causes, nature, and effects of disease. This semantic journey reflects a shift from a general concept of experience to a precise, systematic investigation of abnormal bodily conditions.
Analysis
Structure: patho (suffering, disease) + logy (study of)
- patho: From Greek pathos, meaning "suffering, disease, feeling." It functions as a combining form denoting a relationship to disease or suffering.
- logy: From Greek -logia, from logos meaning "word, discourse, study." It functions as a suffix denoting a subject of study or a branch of knowledge.
Examples
She specialized in pathology and worked in the hospital laboratory.
The pathology report confirmed the presence of cancerous cells.
Chronic corruption is a pathology of the political system.