physician
n. countablen. a person who is trained and licensed to practice medicine. You use this word to talk about a doctor, especially one who treats illnesses with medicine rather than surgery.
n. a person qualified to practice medicine, especially one who specializes in diagnosis and medical treatment as opposed to surgery. Often used in formal or legal contexts to distinguish medical practitioners from other healthcare providers.
The physician examines the patient carefully.
After several tests, the primary care physician referred the patient to a specialist for further evaluation.
The hospital's ethics committee includes a senior physician to ensure that clinical decisions align with both medical standards and the patient's long-term welfare.
From Middle English fisicien, from Old French fisicïen (“physician”) (modern French physicien (“physicist”)), from fisique (“art of healing”), from Latin physica (“natural science”), from Ancient Greek φυσική ἐπιστήμη (phusikḗ epistḗmē, “knowledge of nature”), from φυσικός (phusikós, “pertaining to nature”). Displaced native Middle English læche, leche, archaic English leech (“physician”). Morphologically physic + -ian.
Commonly used in formal American English; in British English, 'doctor' or 'GP' is more frequent for general practitioners.
I am studying to be a physicistI am studying to be a physicianLearners often confuse 'physician' (a medical doctor) with 'physicist' (a scientist who studies physics).