epidemiology

[ ep-i-dee-mee-ol-uh-jee, -dem-ee- ]

See synonyms for epidemiology on Thesaurus.com

noun

the study, assessment, and analysis of public health concerns in a given population; the tracking of patterns and effects of diseases, environmental toxins, natural disasters, violence, terrorist attacks, etc.: Without the profiles gleaned through epidemiology, our health agencies would be at a terrible loss when something like COVID-19 emerges.

Origin of epidemiology

First recorded in 1870–75; epidemi(c) + -o- + -logy

Other words from epidemiology

ep·i·de·mi·o·log·i·cal [ep-i-dee-mee-uh-loj-i-kuhl, -dem-ee-], /ˌɛp ɪˌdi mi əˈlɒdʒ ɪ kəl, -ˌdɛm i-/, adjective
ep·i·de·mi·o·log·i·cal·ly, adverb
ep·i·de·mi·ol·o·gist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use epidemiology in a sentence

It has often avoided detailed epidemiological studies that might show a wider range of harm.
The Fukushima Generation: New Data on Birth Defects in Post-Meltdown Japan | Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky, Jake Adelstein | September 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Unlike the CDC report, that investigation took a true epidemiological approach.
Why New CDC Numbers on Autism May Not Add Up | Casey Schwartz | March 30, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Preparing epidemiological summaries of the disaster victims.
Haiti's Grisly Problem | Cyril Wecht | January 19, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
The sorry truth is that epidemiological studies rarely offer much good individual advice.
In Defense of My Drinking Habit | Laura Fraser | March 22, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
That is the most interesting epidemiological fact in the whole outbreak; and Defoe has done ample justice to it.
A History of Epidemics in Britain (Volume I of II) | Charles Creighton

The real difference is epidemiological, cholera nostras having no epidemic significance.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 3 | Various
It is not only epidemiological science that tells us this, but also common sense—est modus in rebus.
A History of Epidemics in Britain, Volume II (of 2) | Charles Creighton
The rumour of London fevers seems to have reached Barker, who kept an epidemiological record at Coleshill.
A History of Epidemics in Britain, Volume II (of 2) | Charles Creighton
On epidemiological grounds the insects most open to suspicion are the lice, bed-bugs and fleas.
Handbook of Medical Entomology | William Albert Riley

British Dictionary definitions for epidemiology

epidemiology

/ (ˌɛpɪˌdiːmɪˈɒlədʒɪ) /

noun

the branch of medical science concerned with the occurrence, transmission, and control of epidemic diseases

Derived forms of epidemiology

epidemiological (ˌɛpɪˌdiːmɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl), adjective
epidemiologically, adverb
epidemiologist, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for epidemiology

epidemiology

[ ĕp′ĭ-dē′mē-ŏl′ə-jē ]

The scientific study of the causes, distribution, and control of disease in populations.

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