Main Entry: ep·i·de·mi·ol·o·gy

Pronunciation: \ˌe-pə-ˌdē-mē-ˈä-lə-jē, -ˌde-mē-\

Function: noun

Etymology: Late Latin epidemia + International Scientific Vocabulary -logy

Date: circa 1860

1 : a branch of medical science that deals with the incidence, distribution, and control of disease in a population
2 : the sum of the factors controlling the presence or absence of a disease or pathogen

— ep·i·de·mi·o·log·i·cal \-ˌdē-mē-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl, -ˌde-mē-\ also ep·i·de·mi·o·log·ic \-jik\ adjective

— ep·i·de·mi·o·log·i·cal·ly \-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

— ep·i·de·mi·ol·o·gist \-ˌdē-mē-ˈä-lə-jist, -ˌde-mē-\ noun