NEWS Health News Word of the Week: Etiology By Team Verywell Health Updated on May 16, 2022 Fact checked by Nick Blackmer Fact checked by Nick Blackmer LinkedIn Nick Blackmer is a librarian, fact-checker, and researcher with more than 20 years’ experience in consumer-oriented health and wellness content. Learn about our editorial process Share Tweet Email Print Alex Dos Diaz / Verywell Each week, Verywell explains a term from health, medicine, science, or technology. Etiology How to say it: Etiology (eye-tee-oh-low-gee) What it means: The cause of a disease or condition. Where it comes from: From Greek, αἰτιολογία, "causes." cottonbro/Pexels Where you might see or hear it: You might see "etiology" written in a note by your provider about your medical condition. For example, they might explain that the reason you have the flu is that you caught the influenza virus that is going around this year. The virus is the cause of your illness. When you might want to use it: Sometimes, the reason or cause of a condition that you have is more complicated. If you're talking with your loved ones about why you are sick, it might help to explain what etiology means and how it relates to your condition—especially if several factors were involved. For example, if you have cancer, the etiology of the disease is a combination of your genes (which have changes in them that made you more likely to have a type of cancer) and certain things in your life that might have made it more likely to happen (for example, you smoke cigarettes). Why People Who Don't Smoke Get Lung Cancer Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Merriam-Webster. Definition of etiology. National Cancer Institute. Dictionary of Cancer Terms. Definition of etiology. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit