doctor
doctor Lexical Profile
doctor Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A qualified practitioner of medicine, dentistry, or veterinary science who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries.
"She made an appointment with her family doctor to discuss the persistent cough."
A person who holds the highest university degree, such as a doctorate in philosophy, science, or literature, or who has been awarded an honorary doctorate.
"After defending her dissertation on medieval history, she officially became a doctor of philosophy."
• verb
To alter, falsify, or tamper with something, such as a document, photograph, or financial record, in order to deceive others.
"The auditor discovered that the manager had doctored the financial statements to hide the company's losses."
To provide medical treatment to a person, animal, or injury.
"She carefully doctored the child's scraped knee with antiseptic and a clean bandage."
To adulterate food or drink by adding a harmful, intoxicating, or foreign substance, or to modify something by adding extra ingredients.
"He doctored his lukewarm coffee with a generous splash of cinnamon syrup and cream."
• Rhymes for doctor
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French doctour and directly from Classical Latin doctor ('teacher, instructor'), an agent noun derived from docere ('to show, teach, cause to know'). It originally referred to eminent theologians and scholars before becoming the standard everyday term for a medical practitioner in the 16th century.