HealthJuly 16, 2026

etiology

/ˌiːtiˈɒlədʒi/

Definition

The set of causes, origins, or factors that contribute to the development of a specific disease or medical condition.

Etymology

The word stems from the Greek 'aitia,' meaning 'cause,' and 'logia,' meaning 'study of.' It entered English to describe the philosophical or scientific investigation of causes.

In the news

In this article, etiology is used to describe the underlying biological and neurological causes of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Understanding these origins is presented as a crucial step for healthcare providers to improve patient outcomes.

Definium Therapeutics Launches Wired for Worry, a Health Care Provider Initiative to Advance the Understanding of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Patient Impact and Neurobiology

Read the full article ↗

Morningstar

Related words

Learn words like this every day

Meet new words every morning.

Newspoken pulls carefully chosen words from the day’s news — with clear definitions, context, and light review that makes them stick. Get it on your phone.