at i ology, etiology, a it i ology

[Gr. αἰτολογία ( a i to logia ) = a giving a cause of anything; αἰτολογέω ( a i to logeō ) = to inquire into and account for: αἰτία ( aitia ) = a cause, from αἰτέω (aiteō) = to ask; λόγος ( logos ) a discourse.] 1. An account of the causes of anything. "The whole of this is a mere conjectural at i ology of the ancient appellation of the senators."-Lewis: Early Roman Hist., ch. xii. 2. Spec.: The science which investigates the causes of the several diseases to which man or the inferior animals are liable. ( Report by Dr. Creighton, on the Etiology of Cancer : Reports of the Medical Officer of the Privy Council and Local Government Board, No. 3 ( 1875 ).