Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

pathogenesis

American  
[path-uh-jen-uh-sis] / ˌpæθ əˈdʒɛn ə sɪs /
Also pathogeny

noun

  1. the production and development of disease.


pathogenesis British  
/ pəˈθɒdʒɪnɪ, ˌpæθəˈdʒɛnɪsɪs, ˌpæθəʊdʒɪˈnɛtɪk /

noun

  1. the origin, development, and resultant effects of a disease

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of pathogenesis

From New Latin, dating back to 1875–80; see origin at patho-, -genesis

Explanation

The medical term pathogenesis means the source of a disease. Your doctor might guess that the pathogenesis of your ear infection was a bad cold that caused congestion and swelling. If you ask your doctor, "How did I get chickenpox?" you're asking about the pathogenesis of an illness that gave you an itchy rash and a high fever. The word stems from the Greek pathos, "suffering or disease," and genesis, "origin." In medical terms, pathogenesis lays out the biological progression of a disease from its origin to the symptoms it caused that sent you to your doctor's office.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing pathogenesis

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.

Pi, a former postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt, is now an assistant professor of Microbial Pathogenesis at Yale School of Medicine.

From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2023

“We now have dengue in southern parts of Texas,” George C. Stewart, McKee Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis and chair of the department of veterinary pathobiology at the University of Missouri, told Scientific American.

From Salon • Jan. 4, 2019

Add. ti: The Pathogenesis and pathology of viral infections. © 17Jul50; A45750.

From U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1977 July - December by Library of Congress. Copyright Office

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "pathogenesis" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com