Noun
The science, doctrine, or demonstration of causes; esp., the investigation of the causes of any disease; the science of the origin and development of things.
The assignment of a cause.
Source: Webster's dictionaryFreud, S. 1924/1961, page 204 The aetiology of hysteria. Source: Internet
The American surgeon George Phalen improved the understanding of the aetiology of carpal tunnel syndrome with his clinical experience of several hundred patients during the 1950s and 1960s. Source: Internet
The aetiology was not known then but the authors suspected the cause to be either a toxin or a nutritional deficiency. Source: Internet
Today it is preferred to classify them by their aetiology if it is known. Source: Internet