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.

pedopathy (s) (noun) (no pl)
Any disease of the foot: Raymond was intrigued by rare words and expressions and discovered that pedopathy pertained to any kind of infection of the feet.
pelopathy (s) (noun), pelopathies (pl)
The therapeutic use of earth to cure a disease; pelotherapy: Dr. Clean suggested that Stella get an appointment for a couple of sessions of pelopathy, consisting of the application of peloids, such as mud, peat moss, or clay, to all or part of her body.
pharyngopathy (s) (noun), pharyngopathies (pl)
Any disease of the pharynx: When June's throat hurt so much and she couldn't swallow anything, Dr. Big said that she had a case of pharyngopathy which caused her mouth and nasal passages to be badly infected.
phonopathy (s) (noun), phonopathies (pl)
Any structural of functional disorder of the component parts of the speech apparatus: Because Meg suddenly couldn't speak normally, she went to her otorhinolarynologist, Dr. Schneider, who diagnosed her condition as phonopathy, a disease that affected her vocal chords and therefore her speech.
photopathologic (adjective), more photopathologic, most photopathologic
Pertaining to any abnormality resulting from excessive exposure to light: When Jenny was at the opthalmologist's, Dr. Lite told her to wear sunglasses when out during the day, and even wear a hat to keep the sunlight out of her eyes in order to avoid any irreversible photopathologic ailment.
photopathy (s) (noun), photopathies (pl)
1. A pathological effect caused by light: A form of photopathy can occur when a person hikes in a region of glaciers on a sunny day and doesn't wear any sunglasses!
2. The influence of light upon organisms: Photopathy can relate to life forms that migrate from an area of greater light (positive photopathy) to one with less intensity of light (negative photopathy).
3. Any abnormal change in the skin induced by light: When Bob was out doing gardening, he always wore a shirt or jacket with long sleeves in order to protect his arms from any photopathies that might affect his skin.
photoretinopathy (s) (noun), photoretinopathies (pl)
A burn in the central retina of the eye from excessive exposure to sunlight; solar retinopathy: Photoretinopathy can be caused by the flash of an electrical short, or because of thermal damage by intense light which can then result in reduced visual acuity.
phrenopathic (adjective) (not comparable)
Regarding a disorder or disease of the mind: In the adventure story, a phrenopathic murderer was on the loose!
phrenopathy, phrenopathia (s) (noun); phrenopathies: phrenopathias (pl)
A disease of the mind: When Jill found her grandfather's very old medical dictionary, she came across the outdated term phrenopathy which referred to a mental illness of a person.
phrictopathic (adjective) (not comparable)
Descriptive of a person shaking or shivering: A phrictopathic condition is applied to a shuddering sensation caused by the agitated anesthetic area during recovery.
physiopathologic, physiopathological (adjective) (not comparable)
Pertaining to both physiology and pathology: The physiopathological branch of medicine or biology is mainly concerned with the research of altered bodily functions in illnesses or disorders.
physiopathology (s) (noun), physiopathologies (pl)
The branch of medicine that deals with how a disease disrupts normal body performances: Part of Mary's medical studies covered the area of physiopathology, the science dealing with the disturbances of bodily functions resulting from illnesses or disorders.
phytopathogen (s) (noun), phytopathogens (pl)
In botany, an organism that produces a disease in plants: Phytopathogens can be fungi, bacteria, phytoplasmas, viruses, viroids, and nematodes.
phytopathology (s) (noun) (no pl)
In botany, the study of plant diseases: Phytopathology was important to Joe because it gave him a lot of knowledge and insight regarding the different kinds plant illnesses and infections, and, in addition, information on controlling the pests on his garden plants.
phytopathy (s) (noun), phytopathies (pl)
Any plant disease: Jack was amazed at the serious phytopathies he found on his plants, and tried to find information on the internet on how to get rid of the pests or phytopathogens so that his plants could survive and produce fruit again.

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