- The scientific study of the nature of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences. Also called pathobiology. (noun)
- The anatomic or functional manifestations of a disease: the pathology of cancer. (noun)
- A departure or deviation from a normal condition: "Neighborhoods plagued by a self-perpetuating pathology of joblessness, welfare dependency, crime” ( Time). (noun)
American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.