The plural of diagnosis is a common point of confusion in English, especially for those learning medical or academic writing. While the singular form diagnosis describes the identification of a condition, the plural form of diagnosis changes its spelling and pronunciation due to its Greek and Latin origin. This article explains the diagnoses plural, why it is an irregular plural in English, and how to use it correctly in sentences. By the end, you’ll understand the full diagnosis meaning, the rules behind its change, and how it compares to other Greek and Latin plurals.
Medical Terms Ending in -is
Word | Meaning | Example |
Diagnosis → Diagnoses | Identification of a disease | The diagnoses were confirmed after lab tests. |
Prognosis → Prognoses | Prediction of disease outcome | The doctor gave two possible prognoses. |
Analysis → Analyses | Detailed examination | His analyses of the symptoms were thorough. |
Hypothesis → Hypotheses | Proposed explanation | Several hypotheses were tested in the lab. |
Crisis → Crises | Time of great difficulty | Multiple crises hit the hospital in winter. |
Synthesis → Syntheses | Combination of elements | The scientist’s syntheses improved treatment. |
Paralysis → Paralyses | Loss of muscle function | The injury caused multiple paralyses. |
Psychosis → Psychoses | Severe mental disorders | The patient had recurring psychoses. |
Thesis → Theses | Research paper | The students presented their theses. |
Oasis → Oases | Fertile spot in desert | We found several oases during the trip. |
Common Scientific Plural Forms
Word | Meaning | Example |
Symbiosis → Symbioses | Mutual living relationship | The coral and algae have symbioses. |
Metamorphosis → Metamorphoses | Change of form | Butterflies go through metamorphoses. |
Necrosis → Necroses | Death of tissue | The scans showed several necroses. |
Cirrhosis → Cirrhoses | Liver disease | He treated many cirrhoses last year. |
Mycosis → Mycoses | Fungal infection | Doctors treated five mycoses cases. |
Prognathis → Prognathes | Extended jaw condition | Some prognathies require surgery. |
Stenosis → Stenoses | Narrowing of body passage | Multiple stenoses were found in arteries. |
Hypnosis → Hypnoses | State of focused attention | Different hypnosis techniques were studied. |
Fibrosis → Fibroses | Thickening of tissue | Two fibroses affected his lungs. |
Apoptosis → Apoptoses | Programmed cell death | The research studied apoptoses in cancer cells. |
Grammar Rules for Words Ending in -is
Word | Meaning | Example |
Prognathis → Prognathes | Extended jaw | The dentist studied cases of prognathes. |
Scoliosis → Scolioses | Curvature of the spine | Several scolioses were corrected by surgery. |
Dermatosis → Dermatoses | Skin disorder | Summer heat worsened dermatoses. |
Tuberculosis → Tuberculoses | Bacterial lung infections | Doctors treated multiple tuberculosis. |
Osteoporosis → Osteoporoses | Weak bones | Women are more prone to osteoporoses. |
Cyanosis → Cyanoses | Blue discoloration of skin | Heart issues caused cyanoses in newborns. |
Psychoneurosis → Psychoneuroses | Emotional disorders | The clinic reported five psychoneuroses. |
Halitosis → Halitoses | Bad breath | Dental care helped with halitoses. |
Adenosis → Adenoses | Gland disease | Lab tests showed adenoses in samples. |
Angiogenesis → Angiogeneses | Formation of blood vessels | Cancer research targets angiogeneses. |
Plurals in Science and Medicine
Word | Meaning | Example |
Arthrosis → Arthroses | Joint degeneration | Elder patients suffer from arthroses. |
Leukocytosis → Leukocytoses | High white blood cells | The report listed leukocytoses in patients. |
Sepsis → Sepses | Severe infection | Hospitals try to prevent sepsis. |
Myelosis → Myeloses | Spinal cord disease | Rare myeloses were studied in neurology. |
Epiphysis → Epiphyses | End of long bones | Growth plates are found in epiphyses. |
Synapsis → Synapses | Cell pairing | Genetics research explains synapses. |
Trichinosis → Trichinoses | Worm infection | Pork caused several trichinoses outbreaks. |
Endometriosis → Endometrioses | Uterine tissue disorder | Women with endometrioses often need surgery. |
Leukosis → Leukoses | White blood cell disease | Farm animals had leukoses. |
Papillomatosis → Papillomatoses | Wart growth | Papillomatoses may affect skin and throat. |
Words from Biology and Zoology
Word | Meaning | Example |
Mitosis → Mitoses | Cell division | Scientists observed multiple mitoses. |
Meiosis → Meioses | Cell reproduction | Meioses occur in reproductive cells. |
Cytolysis → Cytolyses | Cell destruction | Toxins can cause cytolyses. |
Hemolysis → Hemolyses | Blood cell destruction | Certain drugs cause hemolyses. |
Proteolysis → Proteolyses | Protein breakdown | Digestion involves proteolyses. |
Phagocytosis → Phagocytoses | Cell engulfing particles | Immune cells perform phagocytoses. |
Osmosis → Osmoses | Water movement in cells | Plants rely on osmoses for hydration. |
Trophozoite → Trophozoites | Active parasite stage | Doctors found trophozoites in blood. |
Apomixis → Apomixes | Asexual reproduction | Some plants use apomixes to spread. |
Sympathectomy → Sympathectomies | Nerve removal surgery | Sympathectomies help treat excessive sweating. |
Plurals in Chemistry and Physics
Word | Meaning | Example |
Catalysis → Catalyses | Speeding chemical reaction | Enzymes act as catalyses. |
Electrolysis → Electrolyses | Breaking down with electricity | Electrolyses separate water into gases. |
Photolysis → Photolyses | Light-driven breakdown | Plants perform photolyses during photosynthesis. |
Hydrolysis → Hydrolyses | Reaction with water | Hydrolyses occur in digestion. |
Pyrolysis → Pyrolyses | Decomposition by heat | Wood undergoes pyrolyses. |
Hemodialysis → Hemodialyses | Blood filtering | Patients need regular hemodialysis. |
Dialysis → Dialyses | Separation process | The lab performed multiple dialyses. |
Thermogenesis → Thermogeneses | Heat production | Thermogeneses happen in mammals. |
Lithogenesis → Lithogeneses | Rock formation | Geology studies lithogeneses. |
Morphogenesis → Morphogeneses | Shape formation in biology | Morphogeneses occur in embryo growth. |
Geology and Earth Science Terms
Word | Meaning | Example |
Hypothesis → Hypotheses | Proposed theory | Scientists tested several hypotheses. |
Parenthesis → Parentheses | Bracket punctuation | The equation used two parentheses. |
Genesis → Genesises | Beginning or origin | Several genesises of ideas were discussed. |
Crisis → Crises | Difficult times | Two crises affected the town. |
Axis → Axes | Central lines | The chart had two axes. |
Oasis → Oases | Desert water spot | Camels rested at oases. |
Basis → Bases | Foundations | The research had strong bases. |
Synopsis → Synopses | Summaries | The teacher read the synopses. |
Thesis → Theses | Academic research papers | Students defended their theses. |
Analysis → Analyses | Examinations | Multiple analyses confirmed the results. |
Latin and Greek Influence on Medical Plurals
Word | Meaning | Example |
Prosthesis → Prostheses | Artificial body part | Doctors fitted new prostheses. |
Diagnosis → Diagnoses | Disease identification | Three diagnoses matched the symptoms. |
Hypothesis → Hypotheses | Proposed ideas | The hypotheses were tested in trials. |
Psychosis → Psychoses | Mental illness | The clinic handled many psychoses. |
Prognosis → Prognoses | Expected disease outcome | Early prognoses were positive. |
Parenthesis → Parentheses | Brackets | The code used parentheses. |
Paralysis → Paralyses | Loss of movement | Injury caused paralysis in limbs. |
Synthesis → Syntheses | Combination of ideas | The report gave syntheses of findings. |
Metamorphosis → Metamorphoses | Life form change | Frogs undergo metamorphoses. |
Symbiosis → Symbioses | Mutual benefit | Plants and fungi have symbioses. |
Rare and Specialized Scientific Plurals
Word | Meaning | Example |
Anthracosis → Anthracoses | Lung disease from coal dust | Miners had anthracoses. |
Sarcoidosis → Sarcoidoses | Inflammatory disease | Doctors diagnosed several sarcoidoses. |
Lymphadenosis → Lymphadenoses | Lymph node disease | The scan showed lymphadenoses. |
Fibromatosis → Fibromatoses | Tissue overgrowth | Surgery removed fibromatoses. |
Angiomatosis → Angiomatoses | Blood vessel tumors | Rare angiomatoses affect organs. |
Lipomatosis → Lipomatoses | Fat growths | Lipomatoses can be benign or harmful. |
Myomatosis → Myomatoses | Muscle tumors | Doctors studied myomatoses in patients. |
Papillomatosis → Papillomatoses | Wart growth | Throat papillomatoses need treatment. |
Osteochondrosis → Osteochondroses | Bone-cartilage disease | Athletes risk osteochondroses. |
Mastocytosis → Mastocytoses | Mast cell buildup | The hospital researched mastocytoses. |
Plural of Diagnosis in Medicine
Word | Meaning | Example Sentence |
---|---|---|
Syndromes → Syndromes | A group of symptoms indicating a condition | The doctor noted several syndromes in his report. |
Illness → Illnesses | A state of poor health | Seasonal changes bring various illnesses. |
Infection → Infections | The invasion of the body by pathogens | The hospital reported multiple infections after surgery. |
Treatment → Treatments | Methods to cure or manage diseases | The clinic offers several treatments for diabetes. |
Symptom → Symptoms | A sign or indicator of a disease | Fever and cough are common symptoms of flu. |
Therapy → Therapies | Medical treatment for physical or mental conditions | Different therapies help patients recover faster. |
Injury → Injuries | Damage to body tissues | The athlete suffered multiple injuries during the match. |
Condition → Conditions | A particular state of health | Patients with chronic conditions require regular check-ups. |
Complication → Complications | Secondary issues caused by a primary disease | Surgery can sometimes lead to complications. |
Prognosis → Prognoses | A forecast of the disease’s course | The prognoses for cancer patients vary widely. |
Plural of Diagnosis in Pathology
Word | Meaning | Example Sentence |
Biopsy → Biopsies | Examination of tissue to detect disease | The lab processed several biopsies today. |
Lesion → Lesions | Damaged area of tissue or organ | The MRI revealed multiple lesions on the liver. |
Tumor → Tumors | Abnormal growth of cells | The hospital treats both benign and malignant tumors. |
Specimen → Specimens | A sample for testing | The lab received blood specimens for analysis. |
Culture → Cultures | Growth of microorganisms in a lab | The test required bacterial cultures for diagnosis. |
Mutation → Mutations | A change in DNA sequence | Cancer can result from genetic mutations. |
Infarction → Infarctions | Tissue death due to lack of blood supply | Heart infarctions require urgent care. |
Pathogen → Pathogens | Disease-causing organisms | Hospitals work to control dangerous pathogens. |
Ulcer → Ulcers | Open sores on skin or internal tissue | Stress can cause stomach ulcers. |
Plaque → Plaques | Deposits in arteries or on teeth | Arterial plaques can block blood flow. |
Psychology in Plural of Diagnosis
Word | Meaning | Example Sentence |
Disorder → Disorders | Mental or emotional health conditions | Anxiety and depression are common disorders. |
Phobia → Phobias | Irrational fears | Many people have multiple phobias. |
Addiction → Addictions | Dependency on substances or behaviors | Addictions can harm physical and mental health. |
Hallucination → Hallucinations | Perception without real stimulus | Sleep deprivation can cause hallucinations. |
Delusion → Delusions | Strong false beliefs | Schizophrenia often involves delusions. |
Impulse → Impulses | Sudden urges | Strong emotional impulses can affect decision-making. |
Mood → Moods | Emotional states | Therapy helps regulate negative moods. |
Stress → Stresses | Mental or emotional strain | Chronic stresses can weaken immunity. |
Trauma → Traumas | Deep emotional or physical injury | War veterans often suffer from traumas. |
Personality → Personalities | Unique psychological traits | Siblings can have very different personalities. |
Plural of Diagnosis in Veterinary Science
Word | Meaning | Example Sentence |
Breed → Breeds | Types of animals within a species | The farm keeps several breeds of cattle. |
Parasite → Parasites | Organisms living off a host | Dogs must be treated for parasites regularly. |
Allergy → Allergies | Immune reactions to substances | Cats can develop food allergies. |
Vaccination → Vaccinations | Immunization against diseases | Puppies require multiple vaccinations. |
Inoculation → Inoculations | Introducing a vaccine into the body | Farmers schedule animal inoculations annually. |
Infection → Infections | Disease caused by germs | Birds can get respiratory infections. |
Condition → Conditions | Health state of an animal | The vet monitors chronic conditions in older pets. |
Symptom → Symptoms | Signs of illness | Lethargy and loss of appetite are symptoms in dogs. |
Treatment → Treatments | Methods of healing or curing | The clinic offers advanced treatments for livestock. |
Diagnosis → Diagnoses | Identifying a disease | The vet made several diagnoses after examining the herd. |
Conclusion
The plural of diagnosis is diagnoses, an example of irregular plurals in English that come from Greek and Latin roots. This rule is shared by other medical terms such as the plural of analysis and plural of crisis. Knowing the difference between diagnosis vs diagnoses is essential for correct diagnosis grammar and clear communication. By practicing diagnosis examples and diagnoses examples, you can confidently use the correct form in both professional and everyday language.