diagnostic

 
Pronunciation: /dʌɪəgˈnɒstɪk/

adjective

  • 1concerned with the diagnosis of illness or other problems: a diagnostic tool
  • (of a symptom) distinctive, and so indicating the nature of an illness: there are fifteen infections which are diagnostic of AIDS
  • 2characteristic of a particular species, genus, or phenomenon: the diagnostic character of having not one but two pairs of antennae

noun

  • 1a distinctive symptom or characteristic.
  • Computing a program or routine that helps a user to identify errors.
  • 2 (diagnostics) the practice or techniques of diagnosis: advanced medical diagnostics

Derivatives

diagnostically

adverb

diagnostician

Pronunciation: /-nɒˈstɪʃ(ə)n/
noun

Origin:

early 17th century: from Greek diagnōstikos 'able to distinguish', from diagignōskein 'distinguish'; the noun from hē diagnōstikē tekhnē 'the art of distinguishing (disease)'