pediatrics
Americannoun
-
pediatrics
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pediatrics
Explanation
If you're taking a little kid to the doctor, look for a sign that says pediatrics. Physicians who treat children and babies specialize in pediatrics. Different branches of medicine focus on different groups of people or specific illnesses. While pediatrics is all about young people from birth to their teens, geriatrics, for example, focuses on elderly people. A medical student who specializes in pediatrics will eventually be a pediatrician, or children's doctor. The root of pediatrics is the Greek word for "child," pais.
Vocabulary lists containing pediatrics
National Nurses Week: Medical Branches and Conditions
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iatr (healing); therap (medical treatment)
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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.
At one of the two main public hospitals, a doctor in the pediatrics emergency department is used to watching medical equipment suddenly shut down until the generators kick in.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
On one side of that tension, educators say their job is to prepare students academically for a complex, technology-driven society, according to the pediatrics association.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Additional authors came from the Yale School of Medicine departments of pediatrics and neuroscience and the Yale Child Study Center.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 8, 2026
At UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, according to reporting based on interviews with faculty members, more than 50% of students failed basic tests on family medicine, pediatrics and emergency medicine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
The pediatrics chief already knew of Farmer’s work and found it remarkable.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
