-pathia

The combining form -pathia is used like a suffix with a variety of meanings, including “suffering,” “disease,” and “methods of treating disease.” It is very occasionally used in medical terms, especially in pathology.

The form -pathia ultimately comes from Greek pátheia, meaning “suffering” or “feeling.” It shares an origin with the English word pathos. You can learn more about the meaning of pathos at our entry for the word.

What are variants of -pathia?

The form -pathia is an obsolete variant of -pathy and is closely related to two other combining forms: -path and -pathic. Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use entries for all three forms.

One example of a medical term that features the form -pathia is mazopathia, more commonly known as mazopathy, meaning “any disease of the placenta,” the organ in the lining of the uterus.

The form mazo- here means “placenta,” from Greek mâza, meaning “lump.” The form -pathia here means “disease,” so mazopathia literally translates to “placenta disease.”

What are some words that use the combining form -pathia?

• apathia (using the equivalent form of -pathia in Greek)
• arthropathia
• cerebropathia
• dermatopathia
• osteopathia

What are some other forms that -pathia may be commonly confused with?

• -parous
• -penia
• -phagia
• -phasia
• -phony
• -plasia

The combining form osteo- means “bone.” With this in mind, how does the medical discipline of osteopathia treat disease?