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veterinary medicine

American  

noun

  1. the branch of medicine dealing with the study, prevention, and treatment of diseases in animals, especially domesticated animals.

veterinary medicine British  

noun

  1. the branch of medicine concerned with the health of animals and the treatment of injuries or diseases that affect them

"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
veterinary medicine Scientific  
/ vĕt′ər-ə-nĕr′ē /

  1. The branch of medicine that deals with the diseases or injuries of animals and their treatment.

Etymology

Origin of veterinary medicine

First recorded in 1780–90

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.

Party A and Party B agree to share physical custody and pet costs, including veterinary, medicine, and pet-food costs associated with Beatrice, a Maine coon cat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Starting in July, graduate students attending professional programs, including for medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine, will be able to borrow a maximum of $200,000 over the course of their degree.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

The Education Department would define the following fields as professional programs: pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry and theology.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2025

A veterinary school in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion is continuing to grow, it added, and "plays an important role to encourage our vets of the future to study and practice veterinary medicine in Wales".

From BBC • Dec. 10, 2024

He sometimes had longings to leave veterinary medicine and devote himself full-time to clocks.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

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.