idiopathic
adjective
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Idiopathic joins the combining form idio- (from Greek idios, meaning "one's own" or "private") with -pathic, a form that suggests the effects of disease. The combining form idio- is typically found in technical terms. Examples include idiographic, meaning "relating to or dealing with something concrete, individual, or unique"; idiolect, meaning "the language or speech pattern of one individual at a particular period of life"; and idiotype, meaning "the molecular structure and conformation of an antibody that confers its antigenic specificity." A more common idio- word is idiosyncrasy, which most commonly refers to an unusual way in which a person behaves or thinks, or to an unusual part or feature of something.
Examples of idiopathic in a Sentence
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024
Hussain died Sunday afternoon in San Francisco of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease, his family said in a statement.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
The artist's cause of death was idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, according to a statement shared by his family via Hussain's management company IMG Artists.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
In a statement, his family said the cause of death was idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 15 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Idiopathic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idiopathic. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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idiopathic
adjective
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