etiology
7 synonyms for etiology, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The cause or set of causes of a disease or condition.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun American spelling; British 'aetiology'
The cause or set of causes of a disease or condition.
“The etiology of the illness remains unknown.”
How to use etiology
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
unknown etiology
viral etiology
the etiology of
multifactorial etiology
Medical and academic; in everyday writing 'cause' is clearer.
Etymology
From Greek aitia ('cause') plus -logia ('study of'), via Latin aetiologia.
Full origin of etiology →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between etiology and pathology?
Etiology asks what caused a disease, such as a bacterium, a gene or a toxin. Pathology studies what the disease then does to the body's tissues and how it can be identified. In short, etiology is the why and pathology is the what.
Is it 'etiology' or 'aetiology'?
Both are correct. 'Etiology' is the American spelling and 'aetiology' the British and Commonwealth one; the pronunciation is the same. Medical journals follow their house style, so match whichever the publication uses.
What does 'idiopathic etiology' mean?
It means the cause is unknown. 'Idiopathic' describes a disease that arises on its own without an identifiable cause, so the phrase is a formal way of saying doctors have not found a reason for it.
