English
doctor
Doctor comes from Middle English doctor, from Anglo-Norman doctour, from Latin doctor ‘teacher’, from doceō ‘to teach’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdoceō‘to teach’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdoctor‘teacher’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400doctour
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500doctor‘an expert, authority’
- Englishearliest quotation 1552same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdoceō‘to teach’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdoctor‘teacher’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400doctour
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500doctor‘an expert, authority’
- Englishearliest quotation 1552same form
Earliest quotation: 1552, Hughe Latymer [i.e., [The First Sermon]: “So from that tyme forwarde I began to ſmell…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- ‘to take’
decent, tail, dignity, decoration, paradox, decor, disdain, indignation, dainty, dogma, fonda, indignant, décor, dignitary, deign, digne, 53 more
through Proto-Italic *dokeō ‘to cause to perceive’
through Latin doceō ‘to teach’
document, dodo, docile, dox, docent, 16 more
through Latin doctor ‘teacher’
Today it means
noun A physician; a member of the medical profession; one who is trained and licensed to heal the sick or injured. The final examination and qualification may award a doctor degree in which case the post-nominal letters are DO, DPM, MD, DMD, or DDS in the US, or MBBS or BDS in the UK.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin doceō / doctor