physician

physician — noun

1. a doctor with medical training and a license to treat illness, especially in gen

1.nounC1
Definition

a doctor with medical training and a license to treat illness, especially in general medicine rather than surgery.

Example

The emergency physician checked Leo's breathing before the ambulance doors closed.

hospital role: emergency physician

After three weeks of stomach pain, Nora finally saw a physician.

pattern: see a physician

Common collocations
  • family physician
  • emergency physician
  • attending physician
  • licensed physician
  • consult a physician
Synonyms
  • doctor

    broader and more common in everyday speech

  • clinician

    formal and broader; can include some health professionals who are not physicians

  • internist

    more specific; a physician specializing in adult internal medicine

  • general practitioner

    focuses on primary care, especially in British English

Grammar Patterns

see a physician

consult a physician

family/emergency physician

Usage Note

More formal than 'doctor' and common in hospital titles, official forms, and medical writing. In everyday conversation, people usually say 'doctor', and 'physician' is not normally used for dentists or animal doctors.

Common Mistakes

The physician operated on my knee yesterday.
The surgeon operated on my knee yesterday.
an operation is done by a surgeon; 'physician' usually does not highlight surgical work.
Our cat needs a physician.
Our cat needs a vet.
'physician' is used for human medical doctors, not animal doctors.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Physician and doctor often point to the same person, but the tone is different. Doctor is the usual everyday word: you say you saw a doctor about a cough or took your child to the doctor. Physician is more formal and often appears in hospitals, official forms, job titles, and medical writing. Clinician is broader; in some settings it can include nurse practitioners, psychologists, or other licensed care providers, not only physicians. Internist is narrower, referring to a physician who specializes in adult internal medicine. Surgeon is different again: a surgeon performs operations, while physician usually does not emphasize surgery. Use doctor in normal conversation and physician in formal medical contexts.

doctor ↗clinicianinternistsurgeon ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • family physician
  • attending physician
  • emergency physician
  • primary care physician

Phrases

  • see a physician
  • consult a physician
  • call a physician

Etymology

GreekLatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Physician entered English in the Middle Ages through Old French. Its older root goes back to Greek 'physis', meaning 'nature'. In earlier learning, medicine was treated as part of the study of nature, so the word first referred to a person learned in natural science and healing before narrowing to its modern meaning of a medical doctor.