extern

American  

[ek-sturn, ik-sturn] / ˈɛk stɜrn, ɪkˈstɜrn /

noun

1. a person connected with an institution but not residing in it, as a doctor or medical student at a hospital.

2. a nun of a strictly enclosed order, as the Carmelites, who resides inside the convent but outside its enclosure and who chiefly goes on outside errands.

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adjective

1. Archaic. external; outer.

extern British  

/ ɪkˈstɜːn, ˈɛkstɜːn /

noun

1. a person, such as a physician at a hospital, who has an official connection with an institution but does not reside in it

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Etymology

Origin of extern

1525–35; < Latin externus, derivative of exter, exterus. See exterior

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

extern

Turner passed the bar in 1987, clerked as an extern for a U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

So, we drew some sketches of a customized wheelchair and I sent them to a friend who is a Lego enthusiast,’ said Garrett Fraess, veterinary extern at the Zoo.

From Fox News ● Sep. 26, 2018

“He was never an attorney here; he was an extern in our civil legal aid office.”

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 27, 2018

The extern also asked whether things that had occurred in chambers could be discussed with a therapist or partner.

From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2018

As against the contradiction, anachronisms and extravagances of the Lives we have to put the fact that generally speaking the latter corroborate one another, and that they receive extern corroboration from the annals.

From The Life of St. Mochuda of Lismore by Power, P. (Patrick)