path-, patho-, -path-, -pathia, -pathic, -pathology, -pathetic, -pathize, -pathy

(Greek: feeling, sensation, perception; suffering, disease, or disorder; a system of treating diseases)

In medicine, some of these elements usually mean "someone who suffers from a disease of, or one who treats a disease"; so, they should not be confused with the words that mean "feeling" which are also shown on these pages even though both meanings come from the same Greek element.

acroleukopathy (s) (noun), acroleukopathies (pl)
A hereditary disorder of white patches or lack of typical skin pigmentation on the extremities (fingers, toes, etc.: From childhood on, Helen was quite self-conscious of the acroleukopathy on her arms so she always wore long sleeves to cover them so people wouldn't stare at her.
acropathology (s) (noun) (no pl)
The study of diseases that affect the extremities, such as the hands, fingers, feet, and toes: Because hands and fingers are so frequently used and are susceptible to injury, including cuts, burns, bites, fractures, and even tendon injuries, the research dealing with acropathology is quite important in finding cures for such ailments.

Acropathology also involves the feet and toes. Such ailments are athlete's foot, a fungal infection that primarily affects the skin between the toes and causes itchiness, sores, and cracked skin, and affects ingrown toenails of the big toes resulting in inflammation of the surrounding tissue.

acropathy (s) (noun), acropathies (pl)
A condition specifically affecting the extremities: Characteristics of acropathy include the thickening and widening of the nail beds of the fingers or toes causing the nails to be abnormally curved and shiny.
adenopathy (s) (noun), adenopathies (pl)
A swelling or morbid enlargement of the glands: An adenopathy can be any kind of glandular ailment, but especially applies to a puffiness and inflammation of the lymph nodes.
adrenalopathy (s) (noun), adrenalopathies (pl)
Any diseased or abnormal condition of the adrenal glands: Adrenalopathy includes the glands that are situated above each kidney, secreting hormones which control the heart rate, blood pressure, and metabolism (all the chemical processes that take place in the body).
adrenopathy (s) (noun), adrenopathies (pl)
Any diseased or ailing condition of the adrenal glands; adrenolopathy: When Doug went to see Dr. Snail for his yearly health examination, he was informed that he had a slight case of adrenopathy, which was a disorder of the suprarenal glands.
aeropathy (s) (noun), aeropathies (pl)
Any morbid state induced by a pronounced change in atmospheric pressure: Altitude sickness, mountain sickness, or decompression sickness are examples of aeropathy.
alcohol fetopathy (s) (noun), alcohol fetopathies (pl)
A pattern of permanent and often devastating birth-defect syndromes caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy; fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: The main effect of alcohol fetalpathy is brain damage which can be caused during any trimester, because the fetus's brain continues to develop throughout the entire pregnancy.

The brain damage that is a result of alcohol fetopathy is often accompanied by, and reflected in, distinctive facial stigmata or characteristics which are indicative of a disease or abnormalities.

allelopathic (adjective) (not comparable)
In botany, concerning the phenomenon in which some plants have a negative influence on the growth and development of another plant: The students in class found out that eucalyptus trees had an allelopathic effect on surrounding plants in their area.
allelopathically (adverb) (not comparable)
Regarding how a plant sets a toxic free which suppresses the development of surrounding plants: The students discovered that certain trees inhibited the germination or growth of nearby plants allelopathically by the their use of allelochemicals.
allelopathy (s) (noun), allelopathies (pl)
The use of a protection by a plant, or a discharge of a substance by one plant into the environment, which impedes the germination and growth of other plants: Allelopathy is used by some trees to protect their space by having their roots extract lots of water from the soil, resulting in the fact that other plants cannot survive.
allopathist (s) (noun), allopathists (pl)
Someone who practices alternative medicine or a therapeutic system in which a disease is treated by producing a second condition that is incompatible with or antagonistic to the first (homeopathy): Mr. Simmons was an allopathist who treated Mary's symptoms of her ailment with a substance that caused the opposite effect.
allopathy (s) (noun), allopathies (pl)
Substitutive therapy or a therapeutic system in which a disease is treated by producing a second condition that is incompatible with, or antagonistic to the first (homeopathy): Allopathy is a method of treating a disease by introducing a condition that is intended to cause a pathologic reaction which will be antagonistic to the condition being treated.

Allopathy can also be described as a system of medicine in which a disease is treated by producing effects opposed to or incompatible with the effects of the disease process.

The system of medical practice of allopathy treats diseases by the use of remedies which produce effects different from those produced by the disease under treatment. Medical doctors are said to practice "allopathic" medicine.

The term "allopathy" was coined in 1842 by C.F.S. Hahnemann to designate the usual, or normal, practice of medicine (allopathy) as opposed to homeopathy, the system of therapy that he founded based on the concept that a disease can be treated with drugs (in minute doses) and so produce the same symptoms in healthy people as the disease itself.

amygdalopathy (s) (noun), amygdalopathies (pl)
An outdated term of a disease of a tonsil or tonsils; tonsillopathy: Because Jane's throat hurt so much, she went to see her doctor who diagnosed her as having amygdalopathy and he gave her medicine for treating it.
anatomic pathology (s) (noun), anatomic pathologies (pl)
1. A medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of diseases that are based on the normally visible, microscopic, and molecular examination of organs, tissues, and whole bodies: An anatomic pathology is an autopsy that is done after a person's death.
2. The anatomical investigation of changes in the function, structure, or appearance of organs, or tissues, including postmortem examinations and the study of biopsy specimens: Judy was especially interested in the nature of diseases and their causes, so she decided to specialize in anatomic pathology in medical school.

Quiz You can find self-scoring quizzes over many of the words in this subject area by going to this Vocabulary Quizzes page.