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British

doctorate

[ dok-ter-it ]

/ ˈdɒk tər ɪt /

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noun

any of several academic degrees of the highest rank, as the Ph.D. or Ed.D., awarded by universities and some colleges for completing advanced work in graduate school or a professional school.

an honorary degree conferring the title of doctor upon the recipient, as with the LL.D. degree.

VIDEO FOR DOCTORATE

When Did The Word "Doctor" Become Medical?

The roots of the word "doctor" don’t have anything to do with medical practice. So when did this word start describing those in the medical field?

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Also called doc·tor·al de·gree

[dok-tawr-uhl di-gree] /ˈdɒkˌtɔr əl dɪˈgri/ .

Origin of doctorate

First recorded in 1670–80; from Medieval Latin doctōrātus; see doctor, -ate³

OTHER WORDS FROM doctorate

pre·doc·tor·ate, noun

Words nearby doctorate

doco, docosahexaenoic acid, docosanoic, do credit to, doctor, doctorate, Doctor Faustus, doctorfish, Doctor Livingstone, I presume?, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of the Church

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use doctorate in a sentence

Annahita Nezami, a London psychologist, did her doctorate on the therapeutic value of the Overview Effect.
Can Astronaut Thinking Heal America at Last?|Leslie dela Vega|January 28, 2021|Ozy
Darden transferred to NASA’s male-dominated engineering division and later earned an engineering doctorate.
The NASA Engineer Who’s a Mathematician at Heart|Susan D'Agostino|January 19, 2021|Quanta Magazine
I, and many of my colleagues, have a master’s degree, and also a doctorate.
COVID-19 testing scientists are the unsung heroes of the pandemic|By Rodney E. Rohde/The Conversation|December 16, 2020|Popular-Science
When they’re a bit drunk one night in December, Harper, a journalist, asks Abby, who’s getting a doctorate in art history, to go home with her to meet her family over Christmas.
Hulu’s ‘Happiest Season’ provides queer holiday cheer|Kathi Wolfe|December 11, 2020|Washington Blade

Judy, who has led the district since 2014, rose from a life sciences teacher to a principal to Emanuel’s superintendent, earning a doctorate in educational leadership and administration.
Two School Districts Had Different Mask Policies. Only One Had a Teacher on a Ventilator.|by Annie Waldman and Heather Vogell|November 23, 2020|ProPublica
The “doctorate” Duke claims is from an anti-Semitic Ukranian “diploma mill” as described by the State Department.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Dr. Grenci obtained her doctorate in clinical sexology in 2007.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now Hunter wanted to confer an honorary doctorate on me, and I needed to find the words to properly convey how honored I felt.
A College Degree Worth the Wait|Eleanor Clift|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One old soldier is on the path to a doctorate in mathematics and another is a trained underwater welder.
Memorial Days After Mourning Has Passed|Alex Horton|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Four bronze stars later, he earned a chemistry doctorate and joined the FBI.
Crime Fighter’s Dilemma: My Country or My Family?|Moral Courage|April 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Copernicus made his medical studies in Ferrara and Padua, and obtained his doctorate with honors from Ferrara.
Catholic Churchmen in Science|James J. Walsh
He studied at the École Polytechnique and at the École des Mines, and later received his doctorate in mathematics in 1879.
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method|Henri Poincar
She had already earned her doctorate, while I was still struggling with the tag ends of my thesis.
Card Trick|Walter Bupp AKA Randall Garrett
A brilliant mathematician, he had taken his doctorate without difficulty, and his thesis had even attracted some attention.
Doctor Claudius, A True Story|F. Marion Crawford
He might obtain the doctorate in both branches of law in ten years (Rashdall i. 221-222).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1|Various

British Dictionary definitions for doctorate

doctorate

/ (ˈdɒktərɪt, -trɪt) /

noun

the highest academic degree in any field of knowledgeAlso called: doctor's degree

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012