Relating to or denoting any disease or condition that arises spontaneously or for which the cause is unknown. It describes medical conditions where no underlying cause can be identified despite thorough investigation.
From Greek 'idios' meaning one's own or peculiar, and 'pathos' meaning suffering or disease. The term literally means 'disease of its own kind' and was adopted in medical terminology in the 17th century to describe conditions that seemed to arise without external cause.
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