Etymologically
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diagnose

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 15:51. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈdʌɪ.əɡˌnəʊz/, /ˌdʌɪ.əɡˈnəʊz/[1]
  • US: /ˈdaɪ.əɡˌnoʊs/, /ˌdaɪ.əɡˈnoʊs/[1]

Etymology

It is a back-formation from English diagnosis,[2][3][4][5][6] on the model of metamorphose and anastomose, which follow French verbs in -oser formed from nouns in -ose.[2][3] Diagnosis is from New Latin diagnōsis,[5][3] from Ancient Greek διάγνωσις (diágnōsis, “a discerning, distinguishing”), from διαγιγνώσκω (diagignṓskō, “to distinguish, discern”),[2][3][7] from διά (diá, “apart, through”) and γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō, “to come to know, perceive”),[7][4][2] from Proto-Indo-European *gnō- (“to know”), the root of know.[3][4][7] Before the verb, English used diagnosticate, recorded by 1834.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To identify a disease from its symptoms: 1861, in A. Wynter's Our Social Bees,[2][3][5] though Merriam-Webster dates its first use to about 1859.[8]

Semantic evolution

The noun diagnosis had been in English since 1681,[5][3] and Ayto notes that its Greek source meant "knowing apart", the general sense of distinguishing having been applied in post-classical times to the medical examination that determines the nature of a disease.[7] The verb kept that medical sense; from 1882 it was also used without an object, meaning to make a diagnosis.[2] In the early 20th century the person examined could be its object.[6] It is also used outside medicine, for working out the cause or nature of any problem.[8][9]

Timeline

  • 1681 – the noun diagnosis.[5][3]
  • 1834 – the earlier verb diagnosticate.[3]
  • c. 1859 – first known use, according to Merriam-Webster.[8]
  • 1861 – to identify a disease from its symptoms.[2][3][5]
  • 1882 – without an object, to make a diagnosis.[2]
  • early 20th century – to examine a person and find what is wrong.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To identify a disease or condition from its symptoms or distinguishing signs: The doctor diagnosed measles.[8][9][2]
  2. To examine a person and find out what illness they have: She was diagnosed with asthma as a child.[6][9]
  3. To work out the cause or nature of a problem: The mechanic diagnosed a fault in the fuel pump.[8][9]
  4. To make a diagnosis.[2][6]

Word family

  • diagnosable
  • undiagnosed
  • misdiagnose
  • underdiagnose

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  5. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  6. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c d Ayto, John (2005), Word Origins: The Secret Histories of English Words from A to Z, 2nd ed., London: A & C Black
  8. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  9. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins