epidemiology

noun

Save Word

ep·i·de·mi·ol·o·gy | \ ˌe-pə-ˌdē-mē-ˈä-lə-jē

, -ˌde-mē- \

Definition of epidemiology

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

Other Words from epidemiology Example Sentences Learn More About epidemiology

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from epidemiology

epidemiological \ ˌe-pə-ˌdē-mē-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl

, -ˌde-mē- \ or less commonly epidemiologic \ ˌe-pə-ˌdē-mē-ə-ˈlä-jik

, -ˌde-mē- \ adjective

epidemiologically \ ˌe-pə-ˌdē-mē-ə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē

, -ˌde-mē- \ adverb

epidemiologist \ ˌe-pə-ˌdē-mē-ˈä-lə-jist

, -ˌde-mē- \ noun

Examples of epidemiology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The proclamation exempts those working in fields that don’t contribute to that strategy—but apparently epidemiology is not among them. — Dennis Normile, Science | AAAS, 27 July 2021 Edward Giovannuci, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, says that in major reviews of studies, coffee has been associated with a probable decreased risk of some cancers and Type 2 diabetes. — Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 16 July 2021 Thomas, who earned a degree in neurobiology and global health from Harvard and is studying health care management as well as epidemiology at Texas, didn’t panic because of her experience in the health field. — BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2021 Virology and epidemiology can give people an estimate of how risky something is, but can't tell people how much risk is too much, or which mitigation measures impose too much burden. — Faye Flam Bloomberg Opinion, Star Tribune, 8 July 2021 Although the epidemiology and pace of the two global infections are vastly different, attempts to control each disease have been hampered by very similar obstacles. — Kent Sepkowitz, CNN, 1 June 2021 From its inception in 1946, the agency’s existence hinged on its officers’ ability to sell its services to state leaders who were leery of federal interference, and to lawmakers who often struggled to appreciate the point of epidemiology. — New York Times, 16 June 2021 The crew members haven’t gone past the 14-day mark after their vaccine shots, thus leading to a higher risk of disease spread, said Rebecca Lee Smith, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. — Dave Sebastian, WSJ, 16 June 2021 Bill Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, had a similar assessment. — NBC News, 3 June 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epidemiology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for epidemiology

borrowed from French, Spanish, or New Latin; French épidémiologie, borrowed from Spanish epidemiología, borrowed from New Latin epidēmiologia, from Medieval Latin epidēmia "disease affecting a large number of individuals, epidemic" + New Latin -o- -o- + -logia -logy — more at epidemic entry 1

Note: New Latin epidēmiologia was used in the title of a treatise by the Calabrian physician Quinto Tiberio Angelerio (1532-1617), Epidemiologia, sive Tractatus de peste (Madrid, 1598), a second edition of his earlier work Ectypa pestilentis status Algheriae Sardiniae (Cagliari, 1588), detailing methods to cope with a plague outbreak in Alghero, Sardinia, in 1582-83. The Latin word was revived by the Spanish physician Joaquín de Villalba (1752-1807) in his Epidemiología española (Madrid, 1802), a history of epidemics in Spain that was widely disseminated in Europe.

Keep scrolling for more