etiology

American  

[ee-tee-ol-uh-jee] / ˌi tiˈɒl ə dʒi /

Or aetiology

noun

plural

etiologies

1. Pathology.

   1. the study of the causes of diseases.

   2. the cause or origin of a disease.

2. the study of causation.

3. any study of causes, causation, or causality, as in philosophy, biology, or physics.

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etiology British  

/ ˌiːtɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ˌiːtɪˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of aetiology

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etiology Scientific  

/ ē′tē-ŏl′ə-jē /

1. The cause or origin of a disease, condition, or constellation of symptoms or signs, as determined by medical diagnosis or research.

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Usage

What does etiology mean? The etiology of a disease is its cause or origin.Etiology is also the name for the study of the causes of diseases. It can also refer to the study of the cause of things in other fields, such as philosophy and physics. But it is most commonly used in the context of medicine. In British English, it is spelled aetiology.Example: The doctors have taken some samples and are working to determine the etiology of the disease.

Other Word Forms

• etiological adjective
• etiologically adverb
• etiologist noun

Etymology

Origin of etiology

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin aetiologia, from Greek aitiología “determining the cause of something,” from aití(a) “cause” + -o- -o- + -logia -logy

Example Sentences

There is no explanation for her illness, no etiology.

From The Wall Street Journal

Being the journalist I am, from the beginning of this strange and bewildering acoustic saga, I wanted to determine the etiology of my hearing decline.

From Salon

Although its etiology is still unclear, previous studies have shown that bipolar disease is highly heritable.

From Science Daily

"This new approach looks at the neuronal differences contributing to the etiology of autism spectrum disorder."

From Science Daily

The program was led by trained instructors with expertise in cardiovascular disease etiology, treatment and prevention.

From Science Daily