Patologiczne

Patologiczne is a Polish adjective meaning pathological, and it is used to describe conditions, processes or behaviors that deviate from normal health or typical patterns. The term appears in medical, psychological and everyday language to signal abnormality or disease-related changes.

Etymology and scope: The word derives from Greek pathos (suffering) and logos (study). In Polish, the related noun patologia denotes the science of diseases, while patologiczn y forms describe abnormalities across medical and non-medical contexts. The form patologiczne is the neuter plural or adjective form used to agree with nouns of those gender and number.

In medicine: Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of diseases, focusing on structural and functional changes in tissues and organs. Its two main branches are anatomical pathology (histology, biopsy, autopsy) and clinical pathology (laboratory analysis of blood, urine and other specimens). Pathological changes refer to the morphological and biochemical alterations that accompany disease and help establish diagnosis, prognosis and treatment decisions.

In psychology and behavior: Pathological is used to characterize behaviors that are maladaptive, persistent and extreme beyond normative bounds. Examples include pathological gambling or pathological lying, where the behavior is considered compulsive and disruptive rather than situational.

Other uses: The term also appears in forensic medicine and general discourse to denote abnormal or disease-related phenomena. While the word emphasizes deviation from health or normality, its precise meaning depends on context—medical, psychological or everyday usage. See also patologia, patologiczny.