Pathology
Etymology
From Greek pathos, "suffering" or "disease," plus -logia, "study of." So, literally, the study of suffering. It is the branch of medicine that examines what disease does to tissues and organs — often through a microscope. By extension we speak of the "pathology" of a failing organization, meaning the underlying sickness beneath the symptoms.
noun · /puh-THOL-uh-jee/
The study of disease — its causes and effects — and, loosely, the diseased process itself.
What it names
A precise word for "what has actually gone wrong at the level of the body," used well beyond medicine for any deep-seated dysfunction.
Example
The report went past the symptoms to the pathology — the actual damage inside the tissue.
Related idea
A syndrome names a pattern of symptoms; pathology digs into the mechanism causing them.