ENGLISH
REFERENCE

consultant

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //kənˈsəɫtənt// UK //kənsˈʌltənt// con·sul·tant General-service

n. a senior doctor who is an expert in a specific area of medicine. They usually work in a hospital and make important decisions about a patient's care.

n. a senior hospital physician or surgeon who has completed specialist training and holds primary responsibility for patient care. In a non-medical context, it refers to a professional who provides expert advice to organizations.


SIMPLE

The consultant will see you in the morning.

CONTEXTUAL

After the initial tests, the patient was referred to a cardiac consultant for a more detailed diagnosis.

COMPLEX

The hospital's lead consultant reviewed the surgical plan, ensuring that the junior doctors understood the risks associated with such a rare condition.

Synonyms
Origin

From French consultant, present participle of consulter, from Latin cōnsultāre (“to deliberate, consult”), frequentative of cōnsulere (“to consult, deliberate, consider, reflect upon, ask advice”), from com- (“together”) + -sulere, of uncertain origin.

Usage

Commonly followed by 'in' to specify a field, such as 'a consultant in oncology'.

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