diagnosis
n. C / Un. the act of identifying a medical problem or illness after an examination. You receive this from a doctor when they tell you exactly what is making you sick.
n. the identification of the nature of an illness or other problem by examination of the symptoms. Often used in a clinical context to describe the formal conclusion reached by a medical professional.
The doctor gave her a diagnosis of asthma.
After several blood tests and an X-ray, the medical team finally reached a definitive diagnosis.
Early diagnosis is crucial for improving patient outcomes, as many chronic conditions respond more effectively to treatment when caught in their initial stages.
From Latin diagnōsis, from Ancient Greek διάγνωσις (diágnōsis), from διαγιγνώσκω (diagignṓskō, “to discern”), from διά (diá, “through”) + γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō, “to know”).
The plural form is 'diagnoses'. It is frequently followed by the preposition 'of' when naming the specific condition.
The doctor diagnosed her a flu.The doctor gave her a diagnosis of flu.Learners often confuse the verb 'diagnose' (which takes the person as the object) with the noun 'diagnosis' (which takes the illness as the object of 'of').