dermatologist

American  

[dur-muh-tol-uh-jist] / ˌdɜr məˈtɒl ə dʒɪst /

noun

1. a specialist in dermatology, especially a doctor who specializes in the treatment of diseases of the skin.

---

Etymology

Origin of dermatologist

First recorded in 1860–65; dermatolog(y) + -ist

Explanation

The person who examines your moles, acne, and other skin problems is called a dermatologist. Once visited mainly for acne problems, dermatologists have become more important, as skin problems have grown more common with our increased exposure to the sun. You know that an "-logy" at the end of a word means "study" and that "-logist" means "one who studies. In the noun dermatologist, the object being studied is the derma, the Greek word for "skin." (The Greeks also used it to refer to "leather" or "hide," which still works for diehard sun worshipers. And think of elephants being called "pachyderms," with their "thick skin.") Dermatology and dermatologist both appeared in English in the 19th century.

Example Sentences

Dermatologist Dr Alison Layton told the inquest that "many millions of people" had taken the drug worldwide and Annabel had completed a psychometric test and a questionnaire to help assess her suitability.

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2021

Dermatologist Brian Kim, co-director of the Center for the Study of Itch & Sensory Disorders at Washington University in St. Louis, has identified a second, nonhistamine pathway involved in poison ivy rashes.

From Scientific American • Sep. 20, 2021

Dermatologist Dr. Sandra Lee talks socially distanced patients through doing the icky part themselves in the new quarantine-era spinoff “Dr. Pimple Popper: Before the Pop.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2020

Dermatologist Jennifer MacGregor—dermatologists, constantly touching faces and therefore basically professional hand-washers—specifically recommends in a Strategist article that the unscented version of the Dove stuff is among the best hand soaps.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2020

Is it possible that posterity will know me as Bayliss the Dermatologist?

From Piccadilly Jim by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)