physician
Americannoun
-
physicians
plural
-
a person who is legally qualified to practice medicine; doctor of medicine.
-
a person engaged in general medical practice, as distinguished from one specializing in surgery.
-
a person who is skilled in the art of healing.
noun
-
a person legally qualified to practise medicine, esp one specializing in areas of treatment other than surgery; doctor of medicine
-
archaic any person who treats diseases; healer
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of physician
1175–1225; physic + -ian ( see -ician); replacing Middle English fisicien < Old French
Explanation
A physician is a doctor. If you wake up and your eyes are red, your skin is yellow, and your tongue is swollen, find a physician, soon! When we use the word physician, we typically mean a doctor that practices general healing, as opposed to a surgeon. Physician is a very old word, coming from both Greek and Latin roots for physic, meaning "natural science and medicine."
Vocabulary lists containing physician
Occupations
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
National Nurses Week: Hospital People and Places
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Ash
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The idea was to bring a physician as close to the front lines of fighting as possible to save more lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
It was founded in Phoenix in 2008 by restaurateur Sam Fox and physician Andrew Weil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
"The microbiome is emerging as an important factor in cancer care," said co-senior study author Marcel van den Brink, MD, PhD, chief physician executive at City of Hope.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Neko doesn’t prescribe medications, and it refers serious findings to a network of health systems and physician practices.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Today, a physician would recognize that fever and a pus-producing wound pointed to a serious infection.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
In many cases, physicians have little choice but to monitor the disease and watch for signs that it is progressing.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
THE SON of two physicians, Weis graduated summa cum laude from Rice University and enrolled at Princeton for his Ph.D. in 2018.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
“That’s essentially what scientists and physicians are,” Naughton said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
In a recent American Medical Association survey, 95% of physicians said they’ve seen prior authorization requirements delay necessary care.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
Instead of a careful discussion of the disease, the physicians bickered and fought.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
