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physician

physician

537 3.8
A doctor who finds what is wrong and treats sick or injured people
  • noun
  • /fɪˈzɪʃən/
  • Specialized
: médico
  • Many patients prefer to see a family physician who knows their medical history well.
  • family physician
  • primary care physician
  • physicians and patients

And that is that Medicaid reimburses physicians for vaccinations.

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Examples

  • After discussing her symptoms, the physician recommended a treatment plan tailored to her needs.

  • You need to work with a physician, a qualified psychiatrist.

  • Only then did she resume medical practice as an attending physician in a New York hospital.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I advocate for patients even when it means going against the physician's orders as written, taking a risk myself.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Dr. Bryner, the attending physician, came out to talk to her five minutes later.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Robert Saundby, a London physician, insisted that "modern life is in itself a cause of diabetes."

    Academic text (2011)
  • If you have persistent pain, you should consult a physician for an accurate diagnosis.

Synonyms

doctor
vsphysician
∞ 1.0

A person who treats sick or injured people

is the more formal professional term used in medical contexts
Dr.
vsphysician
  • US
∞ 1.0

A person who is trained to treat people when they are sick

is the full professional term not an abbreviated title
doc
vsphysician
  • Informal
972 7.8

A person who treats sick or injured people

is the formal professional term rather than the casual expression
psychiatrist
vsphysician
  • Specialized
351 5.1

A doctor who treats people with mental health problems and prescribes medicine

is the general licensed medical role that covers physical health too
specialist
vsphysician
143 3.9

A doctor who treats one part of the body, like the heart

is the general licensed clinician who does not focus narrowly
pediatrician
vsphysician
  • US
92 3.7

A doctor who cares for babies and children

is the general licensed clinician who treats patients of any age
pathologist
vsphysician
  • Specialized
56 5.8

A doctor who looks at tissues, cells, and body fluids to find disease

is the clinical practitioner who also treats patients directly
MD
vsphysician
52 3.5

A doctor qualified to treat patients

is the professional role term rather than the academic degree
health professional
vsphysician
41 3.0

A person trained to give care and advice about people's health

is limited to those licensed specifically to practice medicine
clinician
vsphysician
  • Specialized
24 4.5

A health worker who treats patients directly

is the licensed medical role that may include both clinic and other duties
primary care physician
vsphysician
  • US
14 3.8

A doctor you see first for health problems who gives general care and arranges specialist help

is the general licensed clinician not limited to coordinating roles
GP
vsphysician
  • UK
9 3.2

A doctor who gives general medical care to people

is the general professional term used for all licensed practitioners
general practitioner
vsphysician
  • Specialized
7 2.7

A doctor who treats common illnesses and sends patients to specialists

is any licensed medical role including specialists and generalists
medical practitioner
vsphysician
6 3.7

A person trained to treat sick or injured people, like a doctor

is the standard formal label for that licensed medical role
diagnostician
vsphysician
  • Specialized
4 7.9

A doctor who finds what illness someone has by looking at their symptoms

is broader, covering diagnosis plus the treatment of patients
medical specialist
vsphysician
3 3.5

A doctor with extra training in one part of medicine

is the broader licensed role treating many different conditions
medico
vsphysician
  • UK
2 8.3

A doctor who treats sick or hurt people

is the accepted professional term rather than a casual label
pediatrist
vsphysician
  • US
1 6.2

A doctor who cares for children and babies

is the broad licensed medical role not limited by patient age
house physician
vsphysician
  • UK
1 6.1

A doctor who lives in a hospital and cares for patients under senior doctors' supervision

is the standard licensed medical role not restricted to trainee duties

Compounds

A doctor you see first for health problems who gives general care and arranges specialist help

A doctor gives medicine to help a person end their life

resident physician
  • Specialized
2 4.1

A doctor who lives and works in a hospital while training under senior staff to care for patients

A legal right that keeps what a patient tells their doctor private unless the patient agrees to share it

1 6.1

A doctor who lives in a hospital and cares for patients under senior doctors' supervision

How Specialized

heart surgeon
14 3.3
physician
  • Specialized
537 3.8
general practitioner
  • Specialized
7 2.7

Surface Forms

physician singular
physicians plural

Morphology

physician = physic (opaque) = physic + ian

Although formed by the agentive suffix '-ian' on 'physic', the noun 'physic' is relatively rare/archaic and easily confused with 'physics', so the relationship is not clear to average learners.

Etymology

Physician comes from the old word physic, which comes from Greek physis meaning 'nature'. So a physician is someone who cares for the body's natural state, which is why the word connects to physical and to medicine.