Root of the Week: PATH (Wednesday)

WEDNESDAY Pathology (noun)  Pathological  (adjective)

The suffix “ology” refers to a branch of study or knowledge.  Since one meaning of PATH is “disease,” the English word pathology refers to the study of diseases.  The word is also used to refer to diseased or abnormal conditions themselves: a pathology of the liver is a liver disease.  The adjective pathological means “diseased” or “disordered.”  It is used not only to refer to physical and mental illnesses but also simply to extreme behavior.  If you call someone a “pathological liar,” you may be diagnosing an illness that causes the person to lie or you may just be implying that the person lies all the time and without apparent compunction.