Word
pediatrician
Phoneticspe·di·a·tri·cian
/ˌpidiəˈtɹɪʃən/
UK spelling · paediatrician
Definition
n. a doctor who specializes in treating babies, children, and teenagers. You visit this person for your child's checkups or when they are sick.
n. a medical practitioner specializing in the physical, emotional, and social health of infants, children, and adolescents. Often involves monitoring developmental milestones and administering vaccinations.
Examples
“The pediatrician says the baby is growing well.”
“After the fever lasted for two days, the parents decided to call their pediatrician for advice.”
“While general practitioners treat patients of all ages, a pediatrician possesses specialized knowledge regarding the unique physiological and psychological needs of developing children.”
Examples
simple
“The pediatrician says the baby is growing well.”
contextual
“After the fever lasted for two days, the parents decided to call their pediatrician for advice.”
complex
“While general practitioners treat patients of all ages, a pediatrician possesses specialized knowledge regarding the unique physiological and psychological needs of developing children.”
Usage
Commonly used with the definite article when referring to a family's specific doctor.
Pitfall
the paediatrician of my son
my son's pediatrician
In natural English, possessive forms are preferred over 'of' phrases when referring to a person's doctor.
Real-World Examples
“Prof Julian Hamilton-Shield, a consultant paediatrician at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, says that the severely obese children he treats are "the most unhappy children I have come across".” “While pediatricians and some clinics offer both flu and coronavirus shots, they are most common in pharmacies.” “She is heading to Oxford City College to study A-levels in biology, chemistry and maths and hopes to become a paediatrician.” Etymology
From pediatric + -ian.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/pediatrician