pathology

American  

[puh-thol-uh-jee] / pəˈθɒl ə dʒi /

noun

plural

pathologies

1. the science or the study of the origin, nature, and course of diseases.

2. the conditions and processes of a disease.

3. any deviation from a healthy, normal, or efficient condition.

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pathology British  

/ pəˈθɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the branch of medicine concerned with the cause, origin, and nature of disease, including the changes occurring as a result of disease

2. the manifestations of disease, esp changes occurring in tissues or organs

3. any variant or deviant condition from normal

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pathology Scientific  

/ pə-thŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of disease and its causes, processes, and effects.

2. The physical and mental abnormalities that result from disease or trauma.

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pathology Cultural  

1. A branch of medicine that explores the nature and cause of disease. Pathology also involves the study of bodily changes that occur as the result of disease.

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Other Word Forms

• pathologist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of pathology

First recorded in 1590–1600; earlier pathologia, from Latin, from Greek pathología; see patho- ( def. ), -logy ( def. )

Explanation

Pathology is the medical term for the way a disease works. A tumor is removed by a doctor trained in surgery, but you need a doctor trained in pathology to tell you if the tumor is cancer. Pathology derives from the Greek pathos "suffering" and ology "study of"––to give us "the study of disease," but often pathology means the disease's behavior––the cancer pathology is to take over healthy cells and grow cancerous tumors. We also use pathology to describe abnormal conditions that aren’t really diseases, like the pathology of Hollywood stars who live their lives in public and become obsessed with fitness.

Example Sentences

Lead author Professor Margreet Vissers from Mātai Hāora -- Centre for Redox Biology and Medicine within the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine described the results as striking.

From Science Daily • Dec. 26, 2025

The majority of intestinal parasites that have historically infected humans have been declining in prevalence and are currently rare in the United States, according to a 2023 review in Modern Pathology.

From Salon • May 18, 2025

The highly critical Royal College of Pathology report found a "persistent failure " to tackle underperformance by some cervical screening staff.

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2024

Parast has also pushed the Society for Pediatric Pathology to come together and standardize the way placental autopsy reports are written.

From Salon • May 29, 2024

Wayne Grody, director of the Diagnostic Molecular Pathology Laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles, was once a fierce opponent of consent for tissue research.

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