veterinary medicine

American

noun

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

veterinary medicine British

noun

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 /

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.

By 2021, he and his wife, who teaches veterinary medicine online, sold their homes in Phoenix and Indiana.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026

"Solving this biomechanical puzzle required combining approaches from veterinary medicine to acoustic physics," says author Romain Lefèvre of the University of Copenhagen.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

Citi’s former CEO Sandy Weill just gave the largest donation in veterinary medicine to the school that cared for his dog.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 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

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