From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishetiologyet‧i‧ol‧o‧gy /ˌiːtiˈɒlədʒi, $ -ˈɑːlə-/ noun [countable, uncountable] technicalMI the cause of a disease or the scientific study of this —etiological /ˌiːtiəˈlɒdʒɪkəl◂ $ -ˈlɑː-/ adjective —etiologically /-kli/ adverb
Examples from the Corpus
etiology• Activities i. Establish the means for early, systematic evaluation of newly recognized pathogens or syndromes of probable infectious etiology.• The authors concluded that genetic factors play a major role in the etiology of alcoholism in women.• The etiology of these is uncertain.• The etiology of this disorder may include alcoholism, malnutrition, or submassive hepatic necrosis.Origin etiology (1500-1600) Latin aetiologia, from Greek aitia “cause” 