medical

[med-i-kuhl]

adjective

1. of or relating to the science or practice of medicine.

   medical history; medical treatment.

2. curative; medicinal; therapeutic.

   medical properties.

3. pertaining to or requiring treatment by other than surgical means.

4. pertaining to or giving evidence of the state of one's health.

   a medical discharge from the army; a medical examination.

noun

1. something done or received in regard to the state of one's health, as a medical examination.

medical

/ ˈmɛdɪkəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the science of medicine or to the treatment of patients by drugs, etc, as opposed to surgery

2. a less common word for medicinal

noun

1. informal,  a medical examination

Other Word Forms

• medically adverb
• antimedical adjective
• antimedically adverb
• nonmedical adjective
• nonmedically adverb
• pseudomedical adjective
• pseudomedically adverb
• quasi-medical adjective
• quasi-medically adverb
• unmedical adjective
• unmedically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of medical¹

1640–50; < Medieval Latin medicālis, equivalent to Latin medic ( us ) medical (adj.), physician (noun) (derivative of medērī to heal; -ic ) + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of medical¹

C17: from Medieval Latin medicālis, from Latin medicus physician, surgeon, from medērī to heal

Example Sentences

Revenue in its global medical products and distribution segment, meanwhile, increased slightly to $3.2 billion from $3.1 billion last year, driven by volume growth across existing customers.

Read more on Barron's

The American College of Cardiology, a group of professionals that publishes medical journals, concluded Watchman has caused fewer postprocedural medical complications and is currently the safer product.

Read more on Barron's

Ask yourself the following questions to avoid a future unexpected medical bill you can’t pay off.

Read more on MarketWatch

Would we spend $20,000 on a medical flight to move my mom from Florida to New York, so I could better keep an eye on her?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Electrical stimulation is also relatively safe and easy to implement compared to many therapeutic methods, making it an attractive candidate for a variety of medical uses.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• medicinal 
• therapeutic 

When To Use

What does medical mean?

Medical describes something related to the science or practice of medicine, as in My doctor’s medical experience with cancer is extensive.Medical also describes something that provides a cure or therapy for an illness or disease, as in Garlic has medical properties that have been widely studied.Example: He has to receive medical treatment one way or another.