Exogenous has the following meanings in the field of medicine:

1. Outside of the body.

2. Produced or beginning outside of an organism or outside one of the organism's parts. Some infections are described as exogenous if they arise from causes outside the body. An example is when somebody catches an infection from somebody else. Most medical disorders are due to exogenous causes, such as injuries or poisonings. Some forms of depression are described as exogenous if there is a clear outside cause (such as the death of a loved one). Compare exogenous to endogenous, which means produced or beginning by factors inside of the body.

Exogenous is also known as ectogenous and exogenetic. Exogenous comes from the Greek word "exo" meaning "outside," the Greek word "gen" meaning "production," and the Latin word "osus" meaning "full of." Put the words together and you have "full of production outside."

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