physician
Americannoun
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a person who is legally qualified to practice medicine; doctor of medicine.
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a person engaged in general medical practice, as distinguished from one specializing in surgery.
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a person who is skilled in the art of healing.
noun
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a person legally qualified to practise medicine, esp one specializing in areas of treatment other than surgery; doctor of medicine
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archaic any person who treats diseases; healer
Other Word Forms
- physicianly adjective
Etymology
Origin of physician
1175–1225; physic + -ian ( see -ician); replacing Middle English fisicien < Old French
Explanation
A physician is a doctor. If you wake up and your eyes are red, your skin is yellow, and your tongue is swollen, find a physician, soon! When we use the word physician, we typically mean a doctor that practices general healing, as opposed to a surgeon. Physician is a very old word, coming from both Greek and Latin roots for physic, meaning "natural science and medicine."
Vocabulary lists containing physician
Occupations
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The company is also increasingly using an advanced practitioner model, which involves nurse practitioners and physician assistants managing more complex patient care into areas like oncology, neurology, and rare diseases, which have more favorable economics.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
A number of studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of mifepristone, physician groups say.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
"It's not just what you eat, but when you eat it," said Harika Dadigiri, MD, resident physician at New York Medical College at Saint Mary's and Saint Clare's Hospital, and the study's lead author.
From Science Daily • May 1, 2026
Carolyn McClanahan, a physician turned CFP, says that you very well might not need a financial planner at all.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026
The suspect was a physician whose given name was Mudgett but was known more commonly by the alias H. H. Holmes.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
