Showing results for "geriatrics"

• plural of geriatric.

geriatrics

American  

[jer-ee-a-triks, jeer-] / ˌdʒɛr iˈæ trɪks, ˌdʒɪər- /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the branch of medicine dealing with the diseases, debilities, and care of aged people.

2. the study of the physical processes and problems of aging; gerontology.

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geriatrics British  

/ ˌdʒɛrɪˈætrɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the branch of medical science concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting older people Compare gerontology

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geriatrics Scientific  

/ jĕr′ē-ăt′rĭks /

1. The branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and conditions of the elderly.

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Usage

The term geriatric medicine is often used nowadays in preference to geriatrics

Other Word Forms

• geriatrician
  noun
• geriatrist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of geriatrics

First recorded in 1905–10; see origin at geriatric, -ics

Explanation

If you become a doctor who specializes in geriatrics, your patients will mainly be elderly people. The medical branch of geriatrics focuses on the health issues and diseases of old age. A doctor who specializes in this kind of medicine might be called a geriatric physician or a geriatrician. Geriatrics was originally based on the word pediatrics, the medical care of children, and comes from the Greek geron, which means "old age" or "old man."

Related Words

• infirmity