English Reference
noun

surgeon

n.
US /ˈsɝdʒən/ UK /sˈɜːdʒən/ sur·geon UK spelling surgeon's, surgeon's

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    a doctor who performs operations on people or animals.

    a medical practitioner qualified to perform surgery, involving the physical manipulation or incision of a patient's body.

    Simple

    The surgeon explained how the operation would fix her broken knee.

    In context

    The chief surgeon performed the delicate procedure with remarkable precision, despite the complexity of the patient's underlying condition.

  2. 02 C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    a colourful tropical fish that has sharp spines near its tail.

    any of various tropical marine fishes of the family Acanthuridae, characterised by blade-like spines on either side of the tail.

    Simple

    We saw a bright blue surgeon swimming near the coral reef.

    In context

    Divers often encounter the striped surgeon in these waters, though they must be careful of the sharp spines that give the species its name.

    surgeonfishtang

Usage surgeon general

Rhys Hibbert, a father-of-two from Bedfordshire, could have lost his sight without the operation, said surgeons at University College London Hospital.

BBC News· 26 Aug 2026

One involves a surgeon arriving at a hospital to perform an operation.

Phys.org· 25 Aug 2026

From Middle English surgien, borrowed from Anglo-Norman surgien, sirogen (Old French surgien et al.), from Vulgar Latin *chīrurgiānus, from Latin chīrūrgia (“surgery”), from chīrurgus (“surgeon”), borrowed from Ancient Greek χειρουργός (kheirourgós), from χείρ (kheír, “hand”) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”). Doublet of chirurgeon.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Ancient Greek χειρουργός
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Common
Updated