Words / B2

deye-uh-g-NOHZ/ˌdaɪəɡˈnəʊz/

To diagnose is to identify an illness or a problem from the signs: diagnose flu, diagnose a fault in the wiring. Identify and find out are everyday; diagnosis is the noun. In speech, work out what is wrong is enough. Doctors diagnose patients with a condition, or diagnose a condition in a patient — both patterns appear. Do not diagnose a person as “lazy” in serious writing, and do not confuse it with diagonal (a slanting line).

Meaning

To identify an illness or a problem by examining the signs.

Examples

• “The doctor diagnosed a vitamin deficiency.”
• “The garage diagnosed a sensor fault in ten minutes and a wait of three days for the part.”
• “She was diagnosed with asthma after the third night-time attack, not after one cough.”

Good to know

Identify an illness/problem from signs. Noun: diagnosis. Everyday: work out what is wrong. Patterns: diagnose a condition / diagnose someone with. Mix-up: diagonal.

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