Diagnosis

n. pl. Diagnoses (#).

1. (Med.) The art or act of recognizing the presence of disease from its signs or symptoms, and deciding as to its character; also, the decision arrived at.
2. Hence, the act or process of identifying the nature or cause of some phenomenon, especially the abnormal behavior of an animal or artifactual device; as, diagnosis of a vibration in an automobile; diagnosis of the failure of a sales campaign; diagnosis of a computer malfunction.
3. Scientific determination of any kind; the concise description of characterization of a species.
4. Critical perception or scrutiny; judgment based on such scrutiny; esp., perception of, or judgment concerning, motives and character.
Differential diagnosis (Med.),
the determination of the distinguishing characteristics as between two similar diseases or conditions.