-pathic

The combining form -pathic is used like a suffix to denote an adjective related to nouns that end in -pathy, which can mean variously “disease,” “suffering,” or “treatment of disease.” The form -pathic is specifically used to mean “diseased.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in pathology.

The form -pathic ultimately comes from Greek pátheia, meaning “suffering” or “feeling.” The form is combined with the suffix -ic, from Latin -icus, which is used to denote an adjective.

What are variants of -pathic?

While -path doesn’t have any immediate variants, it is closely related to three other combining forms, -path, -pathia, and -pathy. Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use entries for all three forms.

One example of a term that you may be familiar with that features the form -pathic is sociopathic, “having the traits of or relating to a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.”

The form socio- has a variety of meanings, including “social” and “society.” The form -pathic roughly means “diseased,” so sociopathic literally means “socially diseased.”

What are some words that use the combining form -pathic?

• allopathic
• cytopathic
• empathic
• idiopathic
• somatopathic
• toxicopathic

What are some other forms that -pathic may be commonly confused with?

• -parous
• -penia
• -phagia
• -phasia
• -phony
• -plasia

The combining form cyto- means “cell.” With this in mind, what does the pathological term cytopathic refer to?