Etiology is a branch of study aimed at researching the origin and cause of a given phenomenon.
Etiology is present in several different sciences, such as psychology, biology, criminology, anthropology and so on.
However, this method of study is quite common in medicine, in order to analyze the probable causes of different types of diseases.
When the cause (or cause) of a specific disease is discovered, they are called “agents etiological”, precisely because they are the organisms responsible for the development of a certain pathology.
Learn more about the meaning of etiological agent.
In other areas of knowledge, etiology is used to explain the emergence of something, be it a custom, a tradition or a specific ritual.
Anthropology, for example, is concerned with tracing a chronology of how some of the typical customs of some contemporary or extinct societies began.
These theories are called “etiological myths”, which consist of popular stories that narrate how something came about.
Etymologically, this term originated from the Greek word
aita, which means “cause”, “guilt” or even “responsibility”.Aetiology Synonyms
- Base
- Cause
- Origin
- Reason
- Reason
- Foundation
See also the meaning of pathology.