What does prognose mean?
To prognose means to predict what is likely to happen, particularly in relation to the development of a disease or injury. The verb is formal and is most often used in medical and scientific writing, where it refers to forecasting a condition’s course rather than identifying the condition itself. For example, a doctor may prognose a gradual recovery, while a researcher may prognose the long-term effects of a treatment. The word is less common than its noun counterpart, prognosis, but it expresses the same core idea of anticipating an outcome. Its Greek ancestry reinforces this meaning: the underlying term referred to knowing or recognizing something in advance. In everyday use, predict and forecast are generally more natural choices.
verbTo forecast the likely course or outcome of a situation, especially a medical condition. In medicine, it means to predict how a disease or injury will develop.
- To forecast the likely course or outcome of a situation, especially a medical condition.
- To predict how a disease or injury will develop based on available evidence.
"The doctors were unable to prognose how the infection would progress."
"Researchers are attempting to prognose the long-term effects of the new treatment."
"It is difficult to prognose the course of the illness with any certainty."
From a Greek word meaning “to know beforehand,” prognose captures the attempt to see what lies ahead—especially in medicine, where the exact course of a disease can remain uncertain.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does prognose come from?
The verb comes from the Greek word prognosis, meaning “a forecast” or “foreseeing,” formed from pro-, meaning “before” or “forward,” and gnōsis, meaning “knowledge.” It entered English through the related noun prognosis and was subsequently used as a verb. The same Greek root produced prognostic and prognosticate, all of which concern predicting an outcome or indicating what is likely to happen.
Related word forms
How prognose is actually used
The word is formal and relatively uncommon in general prose. It is especially associated with medical and scientific contexts, where it is less common than the more familiar noun prognosis.
Easily confused with prognose
A diagnosis identifies a person’s present medical condition, whereas a prognosis predicts how that condition will develop over time.
Prognosis is the noun meaning a forecast, while prognose is the verb meaning to make such a forecast.