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"doctor" in seven languages

Meaningdoctor

Spanish

médico

/ˈmediko/

masc.learned

A woman is una médica (or la médico).

French

médecin

/medsɛ̃/

masc.learned

Derived from médecine; elle est médecin.

Italian

medico

/ˈmɛdiko/

masc.learned

Portuguese

médico

/ˈmɛdʒiku/

masc.learned

Romanian

medic

/ˈmedik/

masc.learned

doctor is just as common in speech.

Catalan

metge

/ˈmedʒə/

masc.inherited

The one sister that kept MEDICUM as a worn-down spoken word: -DIC- became -tg-.

English

doctor

/ˈdɑktɚ/

other source · Old French doctour (Latin DOCTŌREM 'teacher')

English → ItaliandoctormedicoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: medical, medicine, medic.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

MEDICUM‘healer (from MEDĒRĪ 'to heal')’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

A learned word kept close to Latin MEDICUS. French builds its doctor on médecine; and in all three you address one with the title doctor / docteur / dottore.

English relatives: medical, medicine, medic

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In a sentence

  • esTengo que ir al médico.
  • frJe dois aller chez le médecin.
  • itDevo andare dal medico.
  • ptPreciso ir ao médico.
  • roTrebuie să merg la medic.
  • caHe d'anar al metge.
  • enI need to see a doctor.

More words from the same Latin

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