[ep.i.de.mi.ol.o.gy] n [LL epidemia + ISV -logy] (ca. 1860) 1: a branch of medical science that deals with the incidence, distribution, and control of disease in a population
2: the sum of the factors controlling the presence or absence of a disease or pathogen -- ep.i.de.mi.o.log.i.cal also ep.i.de.mi.o.log.ic adj -- ep.i.de.mi.o.log.i.cal.ly adv -- ep.i.de.mi.ol.o.gist n