Relating to or caused by disease; involving an unhealthy or abnormal condition or behavior.
From Greek pathologia, combining pathos meaning 'suffering, disease' and logos meaning 'study'. The word entered English in the 17th century as medical terminology, later expanding to describe any abnormal or compulsive behavior patterns.
The word 'pathological' shows how medical language migrates into everyday speech - we now commonly use 'pathological liar' or 'pathological behavior' to describe extreme cases, borrowing the authority of medical diagnosis to emphasize abnormality. This reflects our tendency to medicalize deviant behavior.
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