locum
locum Lexical Profile
locum Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British A person, especially a doctor, pharmacist, or member of the clergy, who temporarily fulfills the professional duties of another during their absence.
"The medical clinic hired an experienced locum to cover for the senior physician while she was on maternity leave."
British A temporary professional appointment or position, especially in medicine or the church.
"After completing her hospital residency, she took a three-month locum at a rural practice in Scotland."
• verb
British To work temporarily in the place of another professional, especially a doctor or member of the clergy.
"He spent a year locuming at various community pharmacies across the region before opening his own business."
• Rhymes for locum
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Shortened in the mid-19th century from the Medieval Latin phrase 'locum tenens' (literally 'one holding a place'), which is also the ultimate origin of the word 'lieutenant' via Old French.