idiopathic
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of idiopathic
Explanation
When your doctor isn't sure why you're sick, she might describe your illness as idiopathic, doctor-speak for "of unknown causes." The medical term idiopathic comes from Greek roots: idios, or "one's own," and pathos, "suffering" or "disease." The literal meaning is something like "a disease of its own," or an illness that isn't connected to any particular cause. This is often the diagnosis doctors end up with after ruling out a lot of known conditions or diseases, and it's an official-sounding way for a medical professional to say "I don't know why you're sick."
Vocabulary lists containing idiopathic
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
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Disability Visibility
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Where Only Storms Grow
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But aged 13, Megan was diagnosed with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension - a build-up of pressure on the brain.
From BBC • May 7, 2023
Afterwards, Labour MSP Colin Smyth leads a member's debate to mark Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Week - a condition which causes lungs to become scarred.
From BBC • Sep. 23, 2019
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic and ultimately fatal lung disease characterized by a progressive decline in the ability to breathe.
From Slate • Dec. 28, 2014
Idiopathic pain arises spontaneously and without a known cause.
From Time Magazine Archive
Soon, someone somewhere decided to give it a proper name: Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration—IAAN for short.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
