What's the difference between "prognosis" and "diagnosis"?

Search: diagnosis prognosis

Why: Dr. Gregory House is a diagnostician. Etheline Tenenbaum asks, "What's the prognosis?" It seems like pro means "first" and dia means "2," but I don't know Greek.

Answer: I am so wrong!

Diagnosis means a determination of what's wrong with you right now. Prognosis means an estimation or a projection of how your health will be in the future.

"Dia-" meaning through or across
"Pro-" meaning forward

So the diagnosis identifies the illness, and the prognosis predicts the outcome and the future for the patient. A prognosis could be grim or good.

Source: AnswerBag

The More You Know: Sometimes I am a Tenenbaum for Halloween, but not this year.