pathologist

American  

[puh-thah-luh-jist] / pəˈθɑ lə dʒɪst /

noun

1. a person who studies or works in pathology.

2. a medical doctor who specializes in diagnosing diseases.

3. Also called forensic pathologist. a medical doctor whose specialty is determining why someone died by examining their body.

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Explanation

A student who is fascinated with the causes of disease and death might decide to go to medical school and become a pathologist. A medical doctor who performs autopsies to learn how patients died is a pathologist. Other pathologists trace illness back to their root causes, or diagnose diseases such as cancer. When a doctor decides to to become a pathologist, her field is called "pathology." The Greek root of both words is pathologikos, "treating of disease," which combines pathos, "suffering," with logia, "study, or the study of."

Example Sentences

Scolyer is survived by his wife, fellow pathologist Katie Nicholl, and his three children.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

A court pathologist found that Nowak would have almost certainly died of his injuries at the scene, even if paramedics had immediately intervened.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

She performs post-mortem examinations in Sheffield on children from as far away as Kent, Newcastle and the West Midlands, with bodies sometimes arriving a month later because "coroners have been trying to find a pathologist".

From BBC • May 29, 2026

A forensic pathologist conducted a postmortem examination as part of the sheriff’s investigation into the woman’s death.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

Now there she was with a corpse, a stack of petri dishes, and the pathologist, Dr. Wilbur, who stood hunched over the autopsy table.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot