country doctor
4
3.2
- noun
:
médico rural
- After weeks of studying, she finally became a country doctor, ready to help those in rural communities.
Examples
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But as a country doctor, my mother was in a privileged position and able to procure food for the family in Saint Clair.
Academic text (2006) -
Being a country doctor during World War II was indeed a challenge.
Academic text (2006) -
I'm just a country doctor.
-
I'm the daughter of a country doctor.
-
The jury thought he was probably not on the payroll of the constabulary, but was a simple country doctor.
Fiction book (1998) -
In 1968, my pregnant wife's "primary care physician" (as we say today) was an old country doctor in Susanville, California.
Blog text (24) -
Having started his own practice in Dayton two years earlier, Dr. Carroll was the community's beloved country doctor until his death in 1934.
Blog text (8) -
Now, not only had she turned into a country doctor, but in order to follow up on her patients and build her practice—without a nearby hospital—she performed deliveries at home.
Academic text (2006) -
The country doctor traveled from farm to farm, providing care to patients who couldn't reach the hospital.
-
Growing up as the child of a country doctor, I often went with my father on house calls to see patients.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A person who treats sick or injured people
∞
7.8
A person who treats sick or injured people
17
2.0
A doctor who gives regular health care to all family members over many years
7
2.7
A doctor who treats common illnesses and sends patients to specialists
1
8.3
A doctor who treats sick or hurt people
A person in a village who treats sick people with herbs and simple care
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a doctor who works in rural areas' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'country' (rural area) with 'doctor' (medical professional); there is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift. This noun‑noun composition is common cross‑linguistically (e.g. French 'médecin de campagne', Spanish 'médico rural') and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
The name country doctor comes from the simple picture of a doctor living in the country who rode a horse or cart to visit patients in small villages. Because such doctors worked far from big hospitals and knew the whole community, the phrase means 'a doctor who cares for people in rural areas'.