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.

sympathist (s) (noun), sympathists (pl)
1. An outdated term for someone who is susceptible to hypnotic influences or suggestibilities: Dr. Thompson wondered if June could be prompted to be a sympathist in order to find out what past occurrences in her life made her so afraid of others.
2. An individual who grieves with, shares sorrows with, or understands another person; a sympathizer: Mary was a real sympathist who always showed compassion for her best friend Jenny.
sympathize (verb), sympathizes, sympathized, sympathizing
To share a compassion for another person's thoughts, feelings, and experiences: Sally sympathized with her friend Mary when Mary's boyfriend decided to quit their relationship.
sympathoadrenal (adjective) (not comparable)
Relating to the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system and the medulla of the adrenal gland, as the postganglionic neurons: A decreased sympathoadrenal response can cause unawareness due to the reduced level of blood glucose or hypoglycaemia.
sympathoblastoma, sympathicoblastoma (s) (noun); sympathoblastomas, sympathoblastomata; sympathicoblastomas, sympathicoblastomata (pl)
A neuroblastoma arising in one of the ganglia of the sympathetic nervous system: A sympathoblastoma is a sarcoma or tumor of the nervous system that can be detected as small, usually hard bumps above a tendon or in the capsules that enclose joints.
sympathogone (s) (noun), sympathogones (pl)
A single cell of the kind referred to collectively as sympathogonia: Sympathogones are the undifferentiated embryonic cells that grow into sympathetic cells of the nervous system.
sympathogonioma, neuroblastoma (s) (noun); sympathogoniomas, sympathogoniomata; neuroblastomas, neuroblastomata (pl)
A leading childhood form of cancer that arises in the adrenal gland or in tissue in the nervous system that is related to the adrenal gland: Sympathogonioma is considered to be the most common solid tumor outside the brain in infants and children.

sympathogonium (s) (noun), sympathogonia (pl)
A primitive cell of the sympathetic nervous system derived from neuroblasts of the neural crest: Sympathogonia have dense nuclei, rich in chromatin, and only a thin rim of cytoplasm, and differentiate to form along one line of ganglion cells and along another line of chromaffin cells.

sympatholytic (adjective), more sympatholytic, most sympatholytic
In medicine, regarding the resistance of the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system: The sympatholytic process describes the antagonism (interaction between chemicals in which one partially or completely inhibits the effect of the other) or inhibition of adrenergic nerve activity.
sympathomimetic (adjective), more sympathomimetic, most sympathomimetic
A description of a drug that stimulates the sympathetic nervous system or produces physiological effects similar to it: A Sympathomimetic excitant or medication produces effects resembling those of impulses transmitted by the postganglionic fibers of the sympathetic nervous system.
sympathy (s) (noun), sympathies (pl)
1. The emotion of feeling pity for someone; the indication of understanding and caring about another's problems: Jenny showed a lot of sympathy when she found out that her friend's mother died the day before.
2. An influence produced in any organ by disease or disorder in another part: Dr. Thompsom told Jane that there was evidently sympathy between her right eye and her left eye because they showed similar disorders.
3. A relation which exists between the mind and the body that causing the one to be affected by the other: When Jill called up her employer to say that she felt sick, although she really wasn't, she really did feel ill, and found out later that the sympathy between her brain and upset stomach really existed.
Sympathy

1. What a girl offers to another in exchange for details.
2. A quality that’s never wasted except when you give it to yourself.
3. What you give to someone when you don’t want to loan him/her any money.
—Based on quotes by Evan Esar
syphilopathy (s) (noun), syphilopathies (pl)
One of various diseases caused by syphilis: Some examples of syphilopathies are meningitis, brain damage, paralysis, hearing and vision loss, and headaches.
tautopathy (s) (noun) (no pl)
A method of treating or eliminating the bad effects of standard drugs by using other identical medication: With the system of tautopathy, a person who suffers from one medicament can take another similar potentised one in order to remove the bad side-effects caused by the first medicament.
telepathic (adjective), more telepathic, most telepathic
A reference to someone's ability to communicate by using extra sensory power: Sam knew what Sharon was thinking by telepathic means, and so he didn't need any words or gestures to tell him that she needed his help right away.
telepathist (s) (noun), telepathists (pl)
1. Someone who has the power of extrasensory perception; mind reader: Tom thought his girlfriend was a telepathist because she usually knew what he was thinking without asking at all!
2. An individual who appeares to read the thoughts of another person: Steven knew a magician who was a telepathist and seemed to know the thoughts of others, normally by having an assistant who gave him clever signs or cues.
telepathize (verb), telepathizes, telepathized, telepathizing
To practice, to communicate nonverbally, or to conduct, telepathy: Greg could telepathize with his twin brother, that meant that he could establish contact with him without physically asking him what he was thinking or feeling.

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