idiopathic
adjective
Did you know?
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
See all Example Sentences for idiopathic 
Dictionary Entries Near idiopathic
Cite this Entry
“Idiopathic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idiopathic. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
idiopathic
adjective
Share