medical

[med-i-kuh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR medical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to the science or practice of medicine: medical history; medical treatment.

curative; medicinal; therapeutic: medical properties.

pertaining to or requiring treatment by other than surgical means.

pertaining to or giving evidence of the state of one's health: a medical discharge from the army; a medical examination.

noun

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

Origin of medical

1640–50; < Medieval Latin medicālis, equivalent to Latin medic(us) medical (adj.), physician (noun) (derivative of medērī to heal; see -ic) + -ālis -al¹

Related formsmed·i·cal·ly, adverban·ti·med·i·cal, adjectivean·ti·med·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·med·i·cal, adjectivenon·med·i·cal·ly, adverbpseu·do·med·i·cal, adjectivepseu·do·med·i·cal·ly, adverbqua·si-med·i·cal, adjectivequa·si-med·i·cal·ly, adverbun·med·i·cal, adjectiveun·med·i·cal·ly, adverb

medical dictionary

noun

a specialized dictionary covering terms used in the health professions by doctors, nurses, and others involved in allied health care services. A dictionary with authoritative spellings and definitions is a particularly crucial resource in medicine, where a misspelling or misunderstanding can have unfortunate consequences for people under care. Print dictionaries in this field may be sorted alphabetically or may be categorized according to medical specializations or by the various systems in the body, as the immune system and the respiratory system. The online Medical Dictionary on Dictionary.com allows alphabetical browsing in the combined electronic versions of more than one authoritative medical reference, insuring access to correct spellings, as well as immediate, direct access to a known search term typed into the search box on the site: A medical dictionary reveals that large numbers of medical terms are formed from the same Latin and Greek parts combined and recombined.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for medical

pharmaceutical, therapeutic, preventive, medicinal, tonic, prophylactic, cathartic, sedative, restorative, curative, narcotic, disinfectant, healing, corrective, aesculapian, salutary, alleviating, pathological, peptic, iatric

Examples from the Web for medical

Contemporary Examples of medical

The court ruled she lacked the maturity to make her own medical decisions.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?
Brandy Zadrozny
January 8, 2015
Doubling down on Schedule I is, at best, a deranged way to push Americans away from “medical,” and toward recreational, use.
Obama’s Pot Policy Is Refer Madness
James Poulos
January 5, 2015
But medical experts say being able to take advantage of American health care almost certainly prolonged his life.
Final Chapter for Accused Africa Bomber
Jamie Dettmer
January 4, 2015
But the medical examiner reported that Brinsley had eaten nothing at all.
Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours
Michael Daly
December 31, 2014
Whether or not Hippocrates ever actually said “First, do no harm,” the axiom is central to medical ethics.
Why So Many Surgeons Are Psychos
Russell Saunders
December 17, 2014

Historical Examples of medical

Mr. Brunton, with eyes flashing with excitement, turned to the medical man.
Life in London
Edwin Hodder
I helped him in the office till he got me into the medical school.
Chip, of the Flying U
B. M. Bower
This was a malady which had not been mentioned at the medical college.
Chip, of the Flying U
B. M. Bower
He watched the symptoms with a sort of medical air, as if counting seconds.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
A place in which the dead are laid to await the coming of the medical student.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce

British Dictionary definitions for medical

medical

adjective

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

a less common word for medicinal

noun

informal a medical examination

Derived Formsmedically, adverb

Word Origin for medical

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

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

Word Origin and History for medical

adj.

1640s, from French médical, from Late Latin medicalis "of a physician," from Latin medicus "physician, surgeon, medical man" (n.); "healing, madicinal" (adj.), from mederi "to heal, give medical attention to, cure," originally "know the best course for," from an early specialization of the PIE root *med- "to measure, limit, consider, advise, take appropriate measures" (cf. Greek medomai "be mindful of," medein "to rule;" Avestan vi-mad- "physician;" Latin meditari "think or reflect on, consider;" Irish miduir "judge;" Old English metan "to measure out"); also see meditation. The earlier adjective in English in this sense was medicinal. Related: Medically.

1917, short for medical examination.

medical in Medicine

medical

[mĕd′ĭ-kəl]

adj.

Of, relating to, or characterizing the study or practice of medicine.

Requiring treatment by medicine.

n.

A thorough physical examination.