doctor

Main Entry:: ¹doc·tor
Pronunciation:: \ˈdäk-tər\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: Middle English doctour teacher, doctor, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin doctor, from Latin, teacher, from docēre to teach — more at docile
Date:: 14th century

1 a: an eminent theologian declared a sound expounder of doctrine by the Roman Catholic Church —called also doctor of the church b: a learned or authoritative teacher c: a person who has earned one of the highest academic degrees (as a PhD) conferred by a university d: a person awarded an honorary doctorate (as an LLD or Litt D) by a college or university2 a: a person skilled or specializing in healing arts ; especially : one (as a physician, dentist, or veterinarian) who holds an advanced degree and is licensed to practice b: medicine man3 a: material added (as to food) to produce a desired effect b: a blade (as of metal) for spreading a coating or scraping a surface4: a person who restores, repairs, or fine-tunes things

— doc·tor·al

\-t(ə-)rəl\ adjective

— doc·tor·less

\-tər-ləs\ adjective

— doc·tor·ship

\-ˌship\ noun

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