Etiology

Etiology (alternately aetiology, aitiology) is the study of causation. The term (deriving from the Greekwords ????? aitia = cause and ????? logos = word/speech) is used in philosophy, physics, psychology, and biologyin reference to the causes of various phenomena. It is generally the study of why things occur, or even the reasons behind the way that things act.

In medicine in particular, the term means the occurrences, reasons, and variables of diseasesor pathologies. On The three Cs of etiologythere is an informative text about the etiology of cleft lipsexplaining several methods of the etiological science.

In Biblical criticism, etiologies give theological explanations for names or occurrences. Example: the story of Lot's wife in Genesis 19 (specifically 26) explains why there are pillars of salt in the area of the Dead Sea. (see notes in Oxford Annotated Edition, Revised Standard Version of the Bible, 1973)

An aetiological myth is a mythintended to explain a name. For example, the name Delphoi and its associated deity, Apollon Delphinios, are explained in the Homeric Hymnwhich tells how Apollo carried Cretansover the sea in the shape of a dolphinto make them his priests. While there is an actual etymological connection between Delphoi and delphis (delphus means "womb"), many aetiological myths are based on popular etymology(the term "Amazon", for example).

An example of the word in use: "...there is on the other a tendency to attribute all diseases of unknown aetiology to 'viruses'. In some ways, it is similar to possession by demons in medieval times, and we could make a case for the virus as a 'demon'", from the Foreword of the book "Perfumery", edited by van Toller and Dodd, 1986.

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It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiology Wikipedia article Etiology.