orthopedic
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of orthopedic
First recorded in 1830–40; ortho- + Greek paid- (stem of paîs “child”; cf. ped-) + -ic
Explanation
An orthopedic surgeon is one who operates on bones and muscles to fix them. The word orthopedic comes from the Greek orthos meaning "straight, correct" and paideia meaning "rearing of children." The term was originally used for children and the kind of treatment they received for skeletal deformities like bow legs or knock-knees. An orthopedic shoe is one that is supposed to help correct the deformed bones and support the weakened muscles of a foot.
Vocabulary lists containing orthopedic
Flowers for Algernon
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Clean Getaway
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Merci Suárez Changes Gears
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The style of play now, with the significant forces these guys generate on their bodies,” said Dr. Neal ElAttrache, an orthopedic surgeon whose patients include dozens of high-profile professional athletes.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
Partial meniscectomy is one of the most common orthopedic surgeries worldwide.
From Science Daily • May 6, 2026
When he got back to Maryland, Lesch’s father sent him to see an orthopedic surgeon, who found the problem wasn’t in his back or elbow but rather the rotator cuff.
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026
This aesthetic tech neck isn’t to be confused with the orthopedic condition, in which hours of looking down leave people with joint pain in the cervical spine.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
The school was directly over an orthopedic appliances shop.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
