doctor

doctor

I. doc‧tor¹ S1 W1 /ˈdɒktə $ ˈdɑːktər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: doctour, from Latin doctor 'teacher', from docere 'to teach']

1. (written abbreviation Dr) someone who is trained to treat people who are ill ⇨ GP:
She was treated by her local doctor.
I’d like to make an appointment to see Dr Pugh.
the doctor’s informal (=the place where your doctor works)
‘Where’s Sandy today?’ ‘I think she’s at the doctor’s.’
2. someone who holds the highest level of degree given by a university ⇨ doctoral:
a Doctor of Law
3. be just what the doctor ordered informal to be exactly what someone needs or wants:
A 2–0 victory is just what the doctor ordered.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ go to the doctor I’d been having bad headaches so I went to the doctor.
▪ see a doctor (also visit a doctor American English) (=go to the doctor) Have you seen a doctor about it yet?
▪ ask a doctor (also consult a doctor formal) If you have any of these symptoms, you should consult a doctor.
▪ call a doctor (=telephone one, especially to ask them to come to you) His mother was very worried and called the doctor.
▪ get a doctor (=arrange for one to come to you) In the middle of the night we decided to get the doctor.
▪ a doctor examines somebody The doctor examined her and said she had a chest infection.
▪ a doctor prescribes something (=writes an order for medicine for someone) My doctor prescribed a course of antibiotics.
▪ a doctor diagnoses flu/depression etc (=says what illness someone has) The doctor diagnosed malaria.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + doctor
▪ a family doctor (=who treats all the members of a family) We’ve had the same family doctor for fifteen years.
▪ sb’s local doctor (=working near where you live) You should go and see your local doctor.
▪ a hospital doctor British English (=working in a hospital) Junior hospital doctors have to work very long hours.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ doctor someone who treats people who are ill, who has completed a long course of study at medical school: If you have bad chest pains, you should see a doctor.
▪ GP British English a doctor who is trained in general medicine and who treats the people who live in a local area: My GP told me that I must lose weight.
▪ physician /fəˈzɪʃən, fɪˈzɪʃən/ formal especially American English a doctor: the American physician, Dr James Tyler Kent
▪ quack informal someone who pretends to be a doctor: My father felt that people practicing alternative medicine were just a bunch of quacks.
▪ the medical profession doctors and nurses considered as a group: This view is widely accepted among the medical profession.
▪ surgeon /ˈsɜːdʒən $ ˈsɜːr-/ a doctor who does operations in a hospital: One of the world’s top heart surgeons performed the operation.
▪ specialist a doctor with special knowledge about a particular illness, part of the body, or type of treatment: The new drug is being tested by cancer specialists. | an eye specialist
▪ consultant British English a very senior doctor in a hospital, with a lot of knowledge about a particular area of medicine: The consultant said that he did not think it was cancer.
▪ paramedic someone who has been trained to treat sick or injured people, especially at the scene of an accident: Paramedics treated him for shock.
▪ vet (also veterinarian especially American English) a doctor who treats animals: We took the cat to the vet.
▪ paediatrician British English, pediatrician American English a doctor who treats children who are sick
▪ gynaecologist British English, gynecologist American English a doctor who treats medical conditions and illnesses that affect women’s bodies
▪ obstetrician a doctor who deals with the birth of children
▪ radiographer someone whose job is to take ↑X-rays or to treat people using an X-ray machine
■ a doctor who treats mental illness
▪ psychiatrist /saɪˈkaɪətrəst, saɪˈkaɪətrɪst $ sə-/ a doctor who is trained to treat people with mental illnesses: In order to become a psychiatrist, you first need a medical degree.
▪ psychologist /saɪˈkɒlədʒəst, saɪˈkɒlədʒɪst $ -ˈkɑː-/ a scientist who studies and is trained in ↑psychology (=the study of the mind): Many psychologists believe that aggression is a learned behaviour.
▪ shrink informal a humorous word for a ↑psychiatrist
▪ therapist a trained person whose job is to help people with their emotional problems, especially by talking to them and asking them to talk about their feelings
■ someone who is studying to be a doctor
▪ medical student a student who is studying medicine in order to be a doctor: James is a medical student at Edinburgh university.
▪ intern American English a student who has almost finished studying to be a doctor, and who is working in a hospital