diagnostic

[ dahy-uhg-nos-tik ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or used in diagnosis.
2. serving to identify or characterize; being a precise indication.

noun

1. diagnosis ( def 1 ).
2. a symptom or characteristic of value in diagnosis.
3. Medicine/Medical. a device or substance used for the analysis or detection of diseases or other medical conditions.
4. Computers.
   1. a message output by a computer diagnosing an error in a computer program, computer system, or component device.
   2. a program or subroutine that produces such messages.

diagnostic

/ ˌdaɪəɡˈnɒstɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or of value in diagnosis

noun

1. med any symptom that provides evidence for making a specific diagnosis
2. a diagnosis

Derived Forms

• ˌdiagˈnostically, adverb

Other Words From

• diag·nosti·cal·ly adverb
• postdi·ag·nostic adjective
• predi·ag·nostic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of diagnostic¹

1615–25; < Greek diagnōstikós, equivalent to diagnōst ( ós ) distinguished (akin to diágnōsis; diagnosis ) + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

Two additional operating theatres, and a MRI scanner to increase surgical and diagnostic capacity, were installed at Forth Valley Royal Hospital as part of the NTC project and are already up and running.

From BBC

“Based on recent diagnostic results, it’s apparent that migratory waterfowl are moving this new ‘D’ genotype down the Pacific Flyway,” said Bryan Richards, the Emerging Disease Coordinator at the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

The current qui tam case, in which physician Clarissa Zafirov accused her employers and related companies of faking and inflating diagnostic codes to increase their Medicare reimbursements, isn’t Mizelle’s first rodeo in the game of overturning government rules and regulations.

From Los Angeles Times

There is no single, diagnostic test.

From BBC

The 40-foot-long UniMóvil — with two exam rooms, diagnostic equipment, and a lab — brings health care to rural communities in Texas' Rio Grande Valley.

From Salon