ENGLISH
REFERENCE

veterinary

adj. · n.
US //ˈvɛtɹəˌnɛɹi// UK //vˈɛtəɹˌɪnəɹi// vet·eri·nary
  1. 1 animal medicine (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate Medicine

    used to describe the medical care and health of animals.

    relating to the medical or surgical treatment of animals. Often used attributively before a noun.

    Example

    She is studying veterinary medicine because she wants to help sick pets.

    Example

    The clinic provides a wide range of veterinary services, including emergency surgery and routine vaccinations for local livestock.
    • animal related
  2. 2 an animal doctor (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Formal Medicine

    a person who is trained to treat sick or injured animals.

    a medical professional qualified to treat animals. While 'veterinarian' or 'vet' is more common in speech, this form appears in formal contexts.

    Example

    The veterinary checked the horse's leg to see if it was broken.

    Example

    The senior veterinary at the zoo oversaw the complex procedure to relocate the injured elephant to a specialist facility.
Origin

From Latin veterīnārius, from veterīnus and veterīnae (“cattle;"beasts of burden/of draught"”); compare with veterinarian.

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

Last updated June 20, 2026