pathogenesis
/ˌpæθ.əˈdʒen.ə.sɪs/ IELTSAcademic
noun
The development and origin of a disease. It explains how a disease starts and how it changes in the body.
- Doctors studied the pathogenesis of the infection.
- The report explains the pathogenesis of diabetes.
- We need to understand the pathogenesis first.
Adinary Nuance
Pathogenesis is more specific than cause. A cause tells you what starts a disease, while pathogenesis tells you how the disease develops in the body. It is also different from pathology, which is the study of disease in general. Scientists and medical writers use pathogenesis when they want to explain the process, not just the trigger.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- cơ chế bệnh sinh
- Spanish
- patogénesis
- Chinese
- 发病机制
- Japanese
- 病態形成
- Korean
- 병인 발생
Etymology
From Greek pathos meaning “suffering” and genesis meaning “origin” or “creation.” It entered scientific English in the 19th century.
Common phrases
pathogenesis of diseaseunderstanding pathogenesisthe pathogenesis of cancerdisease pathogenesis
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is pathogenesis a common word in everyday English?
- No. It is mainly used in medicine, biology, and academic writing.
- What is the difference between pathogenesis and cause?
- Cause is the trigger. Pathogenesis is the full process of how the disease develops.
- Can I use pathogenesis in IELTS Writing Task 2?
- Yes, if you are writing about health or science in a formal way.
- Is pathogenesis the same as pathology?
- No. Pathology is the study of disease. Pathogenesis is how a disease develops.