physician
//fəˈzɪʃən//
Forms
- Plural
- physicians
Definitions
1.A practitioner of physic, i.e. a specialist in internal medicine, especially as opposed to a surgeon; a practitioner who treats with medication rather than with surgery.
- The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates promoted wine for various purposes, including reducing fevers and dressing wounds.
2.A medical doctor trained in human medicine.
- The doctor had to go to London for a physician to take charge of his practice[…].
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #2406
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Etymology
From Middle English fisicien, from Old French fisicïen (“physician”) (modern French physicien (“physicist”)), from fisique (“art of healing”), from Latin physica (“natural science”), from Ancient Greek φυσική ἐπιστήμη (phusikḗ epistḗmē, “knowledge of nature”), from φυσικός (phusikós, “pertaining to nature”).