ETIOLOGY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does etiology mean? 

• ETIOLOGY (noun)
  The noun ETIOLOGY has 2 senses:

1. the cause of a disease

2. the philosophical study of causation

  Familiarity information: ETIOLOGY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ETIOLOGY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The cause of a disease

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

aetiology; etiology

Hypernyms ("etiology" is a kind of...):

cause (events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something)

Derivation:

etiologic; etiological (relating to the etiology of a disease)

etiologist (a specialist in the etiology of diseases)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The philosophical study of causation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

aetiology; etiology

Hypernyms ("etiology" is a kind of...):

philosophy (the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics)

Derivation:

etiologic; etiological (of or relating to the philosophical study of causation)

 Context examples 

It includes statistical information on etiology, incidence, prevalence, age of onset and prognosis.

(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition, NCI Thesaurus)

An inflammatory skin disorder of unknown etiology characterized by papules and plaques or scaly patches resembling psoriasis.

(Parapsoriasis, NCI Thesaurus)

Its etiology is obscure but it may be associated with toxic fumes, infection, and connective tissue disease.

(Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia, NCI Thesaurus)

The term applied to a group of relatively uncommon inflammatory, maculopapular, scaly eruptions of unknown etiology and resistant to conventional treatment.

(Parapsoriasis, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Functional disturbance or pathological change in the peripheral nervous system; sometimes limited to noninflammatory lesions as opposed to those of neuritis; etiology may be known or unknown.

(Peripheral Sensory Neuropathy, NIH CRISP Thesaurus)

Relatively common etiologies include infections; AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES; SPINAL CORD; and ischemia (see also SPINAL CORD VASCULAR DISEASES).

(Myelitis, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Although its etiology is unknown, it has been described in patients with HIV infection and in patients with nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma affecting the thymus gland.

(Multilocular Thymic Cyst, NCI Thesaurus)

The objective is to examine the role of genes that regulate the metabolism of environmental carcinogens in prostate cancer etiology.

(Molecular Epidemiology of Prostate Cancer, NCI Thesaurus)

A chronic disorder of unknown etiology characterized by pain, stiffness, and tenderness in the muscles of neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms, and legs.

(Fibromyalgia, NCI Thesaurus)

A phenotype or trait that occurs with greater frequency in a given family than in the general population; familial traits may have a genetic and/or nongenetic etiology.

(Family, NCI Dictionary)