doctor

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See also: Doctor

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English doctor (“an expert, authority on a subject”), doctour, from Anglo-Norman doctour, from Latin doctor (“teacher”), from doceō (“I teach”). Displaced native Middle English lerare (“doctor, teacher”) (from Middle English leren (“to teach, instruct”) from Old English lǣran, lēran (“to teach, instruct, guide”), compare Old English lārēow (“teacher, master”)). Displaced Old English lǣċe (“doctor, physician”), and doublet of docent.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

doctor (plural doctors)

  1. A physician; a member of the medical profession; one who is trained and licensed to heal the sick or injured. The final examination and qualification may award a doctor degree in which case the post-nominal letters are D.O., DPM, M.D., DMD, DDS, in the US or MBBS in the UK.
    If you still feel unwell tomorrow, see your doctor.
  2. A person who has attained a doctorate, such as a Ph.D. or Th.D. or one of many other terminal degrees conferred by a college or university.
  3. A veterinarian; a medical practitioner who treats non-human animals.
  4. A nickname for a person who has special knowledge or talents to manipulate or arrange transactions.
  5. (obsolete) A teacher; one skilled in a profession or a branch of knowledge; a learned man.
    • 1552, Hughe Latymer [i.e., Hugh Latimer], Augustine Bernher, compiler, “[The First Sermon]”, in Certayn Godly Sermons, Made uppon the Lords Prayer, […], London: […] John Day, […], published 1562, →OCLC, folio 5, verso:
      So from that tyme forwarde I began to ſmell the word of god, and forſoke the ſchole doctors and ſuch foolries.
    • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
      one of the doctors of Italy, Nicholas Macciavel
  6. (dated) Any mechanical contrivance intended to remedy a difficulty or serve some purpose in an exigency.
    the doctor of a calico-printing machine, which is a knife to remove superfluous colouring matter
    the doctor, or auxiliary engine, also called "donkey engine"
    • 2010, Ramesh Bangia, Dictionary of Information Technology, page 172:
      The use of a disk doctor may be the only way of recovering valuable data following a disk crash.
  7. A fish, the friar skate.
  8. (obsolete, nautical, slang) A ship's cook.
    • 1844, William Robert Wilde, Narrative of a Voyage to Madeira, Teneriffe and Along the Shores of the Mediterranean, page 124:
      […] old Scotch Jem the boatswain, tunes his fiddle, and the doctor, (ship's cook,) produces his tambourine; the men dance on deck, […]
    • 1881, The United Service, volume 5, page 212:
      His galley is small, and, microscopic as it is, it is shared by his brother in misery, the ship's cook, he whom the crew familiarly know as the “Doctor.”

Usage notes[edit]

  • Doctor is capitalized when used as a title:
    Doctor Smith
  • In the UK and Commonwealth (except Canada), a surgeon (including a dental or veterinary surgeon) is commonly addressed as Mr./Ms./Mrs. rather than Doctor.

Synonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

See also Types of academic doctor below

Related terms[edit]

types of academic doctor
  • Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (D.A.O.M.)
  • Doctor of Arts (D.A.)
  • Doctor of Architecture (D.Arch.)
  • Doctor of Applied Science (D.A.S.)
  • Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
  • Doctor of Chemistry (D.Chem.)
  • Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.)
  • Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.)
  • Doctor of Criminal Justice (D.C.J.)
  • Doctor of Comparative/Civil Law (D.C.L.)
  • Doctor of Computer Science (D.C.S.)
  • Doctor of Criminology (D.Crim.)
  • Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.)
  • Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.)
  • Doctor of Design (Dr.DES.)
  • Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
  • Doctor of Environmental Design (D.E.D.)
  • Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng.)
  • Doctor of Environment (D.Env.)
  • Doctor of Engineering Science (D.E.Sc./Sc.D.E.)
  • Doctor of Forestry (D.F.)
  • Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.)
  • Doctor of Geological Science (D.G.S.)
  • Doctor of Hebrew Literature/Letters (D.H.L.)
  • Doctor of Health and Safety (D.H.S.)
  • Doctor of Hebrew Studies (D.H.S.)
  • Doctor of Industrial Technology (D.I.T.)
  • Doctor of Information Technology (D.I.T.)
  • Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.)
  • Doctor of Library Science (D.L.S.)
  • Doctor of Music (D.M.)
  • Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A., A.Mus.D.)
  • Doctor of Musical Education (D.M.E.)
  • Doctor of Ministry (D.Min./D.M.)
  • Doctor of Modern Languages (D.M.L.)
  • Doctor of Music Ministry (D.M.M.)
  • Doctor of Medical Science (D.M.Sc.)
  • Doctor of Nursing Science (D.N.Sc.)
  • Doctor of Public Administration (D.P.A.)
  • Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)
  • Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
  • Doctor of Physical Education (D.P.E.)
  • Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.)
  • Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.)
  • Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)
  • Doctor of Public Health (D.P.H.)
  • Doctor of Professional Studies (D.P.S.)
  • Doctor of Religious Education (D.R.E.)
  • Doctor of Recreation (D.Rec./D.R.)
  • Doctor of Science (D.Sc./Sc.D.)
  • Doctor of Science in Dentistry (D.Sc.D.)
  • Doctor of Science and Hygiene (D.Sc.H.)
  • Doctor of Science in Veterinary Medicine (D.Sc.V.M.)
  • Doctor of Sacred Music (D.S.M.)
  • Doctor of Social Science (D.S.Sc.)
  • Doctor of Social Work (D.S.W.)
  • Doctor of Canon Law (J.C.D.)
  • Doctor of the Science of Law (L.Sc.D.)
  • Doctor of Rehabilitation (Rh.D.)
  • Doctor of Sacred Theology (S.T.D.)
  • Doctor of Science (D.Sc.)
  • Doctor of Technology (D.Tech.)
  • Doctor of Theology (Th.D.)
  • Doctor of the University (D.Univ)
  • Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or Veterinary Medical Doctor (D.V.M./V.M.D)
  • Divinitatis Doctor, Doctor of Divinity (D.D.)
  • Juris Doctor, Doctor of Law (J.D.)
  • Optometry Doctor, Doctor of Optometry (O.D.)
  • Legum Doctor, Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
  • Literarum Doctor, Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)
  • Medicine Doctor, Doctor of Medicine (M.D./D.M.)
  • Music Doctor, Doctor of Music (D.Mus.)

Descendants[edit]

Descendants

Translations[edit]

veterinarian — see veterinarian
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb[edit]

doctor (third-person singular simple present doctors, present participle doctoring, simple past and past participle doctored)

  1. (transitive) To act as a medical doctor to.
    Her children doctored her back to health.
  2. (intransitive, humorous) To act as a medical doctor.
    • 2017, "Do No Harm", season 8, episode 2 of Adventure Time
      Doctor Princess: Put this on. [gives her lab coat to Finn] OK, you're a doctor now. Good luck.
      Finn: Wait, wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! I don't know how to doctor!
  3. (transitive) To make (someone) into an (academic) doctor; to confer a doctorate upon.
  4. (transitive) To physically alter (medically or surgically) a living being in order to change growth or behavior.
    They doctored their apple trees by vigorous pruning, and now the dwarfed trees are easier to pick.
    We may legally doctor a pet to reduce its libido.
  5. (transitive) To genetically alter an extant species.
    Mendel's discoveries showed how the evolution of a species may be doctored.
  6. (transitive) To alter or make obscure, as with the intention to deceive, especially a document.
    To doctor the signature of an instrument with intent to defraud is an example of forgery.
    • 2024 March 11, Mark Landler, Lauren Leatherby, “Princess of Wales Apologizes, Saying She Edited Image”, in The New York Times‎[1], →ISSN:
      Catherine, the Princess of Wales, apologized on Monday for doctoring a photo of her with her three children, which was recalled by several news agencies on Sunday after they determined the image had been manipulated.
  7. (transitive) To adulterate, drug, or poison (drink).
  8. (intransitive, obsolete) To take medicine.

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

Asturian[edit]

Noun[edit]

doctor m (plural doctores)

  1. doctor (person who has attained a doctorate)

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin doctōrem.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

doctor m (plural doctors, feminine doctora)

  1. doctor

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle Dutch doctor, from Latin doctor (“teacher, instructor”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

doctor m (plural doctoren or doctors, diminutive doctortje n)

  1. doctor (person who has attained a doctorate)

Synonyms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

See also[edit]

Latin[edit]

FWOTD – 23 November 2013

Etymology[edit]

From doceō (“I teach”) +‎ -tor.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

doctor m (genitive doctōris, feminine doctrīx or doctorissa); third declension

  1. teacher, instructor
    • c. 99 BCE – 55 BCE, Lucretius, De rerum natura 5.1310–1312:
      […] et validos partim prae se misere leones
      cum doctoribus armatis saevisque magistris
      qui moderarier his possent vinclisque tenere,
      […] and some let out before them strong lions,
      with armed trainers and fierce masters
      to manage them and hold them in restraints,
  2. (Ecclesiastical Latin) catechist, Doctor of the Church

Declension[edit]

Third-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative doctor doctōrēs
Genitive doctōris doctōrum
Dative doctōrī doctōribus
Accusative doctōrem doctōrēs
Ablative doctōre doctōribus
Vocative doctor doctōrēs

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

Borrowed terms

References[edit]

  • “doctor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “doctor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • doctor in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • doctor in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • doctor in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Romanian[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin doctor (17th c.), via French docteur or German Doktor.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

doctor m (plural doctori, feminine equivalent doctoriță or (nonstandard) doctoră)

  1. doctor

Declension[edit]

Declension of doctor
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) doctor doctorul (niște) doctori doctorii
genitive/dative (unui) doctor doctorului (unor) doctori doctorilor
vocative doctorule doctorilor

See also[edit]

Spanish[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin doctor.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /doɡˈtoɾ/ [d̪oɣ̞ˈt̪oɾ]
  • Audio (Colombia):(file)
  • Rhymes: -oɾ
  • Syllabification: doc‧tor

Noun[edit]

doctor m (plural doctores, feminine doctora, feminine plural doctoras)

  1. doctor (Ph.D.)
  2. physician
    Synonym: médico

Related terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

Further reading[edit]

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