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.

See Examples For:

veterinary medicine

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

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

Dilwyn studied veterinary medicine at Edinburgh and his inspiration came from another popular TV programme.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2024

The literature of veterinary medicine is rife with cases of animals stricken by swainsonine poisoning after eating damp forage contaminated with R. leguminicola.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023