Idiopathic

By Deane Barker • •

Definition: relating to or denoting any disease or condition that arises spontaneously or for which the cause is unknown.

Essentially, a disease or disorder that just happens for no reason:

Why I Looked It Up

From an article about Natalie Cole:

The family told the Associated Press the singer died of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, which led to heart failure. […] Because Cole’s case was idiopathic, the exact cause is unknown.

I think that last sentence is superfluous. It was idiopathic because it was unknown, not the other way around. And even then, you’re just confirming the definition there, really.

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