pediatrics

American  

[pee-dee-a-triks, ped-ee-] / ˌpi diˈæ trɪks, ˌpɛd i- /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the branch of medicine concerned with the development, care, and diseases of babies and children.

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pediatrics British  

/ ˌpiːdɪˈætrɪks /

noun

1. the US spelling of paediatrics

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pediatrics Scientific  

/ pē′dē-ăt′rĭks /

1. The branch of medicine that deals with the care of infants and children.

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pediatrics Cultural  

1. The branch of medicine devoted to the study and care of children.

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Other Word Forms

• pediatric adjective

Etymology

Origin of pediatrics

First recorded in 1880–85; ped- ¹, + -iatrics

Example Sentences

At UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, he wrote, students have been failing basic tests in areas like family medicine and pediatrics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

At the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Fariba Rezaee participated as associate professor of pediatrics and staff physician in the Center for Pulmonary Medicine.

From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026

Dr. Lisa Costello, a pediatrician and associate professor of general pediatrics at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, who also cares for newborns, said the birth dose is very important.

From Salon • Dec. 12, 2025

Claire McCarthy, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, advises parents to spread their compliments, love and cheerleading evenly among their children to avoid resentments or emotional fallout later in life.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 3, 2025

The pediatrics chief already knew of Farmer’s work and found it remarkable.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French