Paediatrics
/ˌpiːdiˈætrɪks/noun
The branch of medicine dealing with the health and medical care of children.
Did you know?Paediatrics comes from Greek pais/paid- meaning “child,” the same ancient root behind words like pedagogue and pediatric, so the language of caring for children was once tied to the language of leading them.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peh₂-
“to protect, feed, or tend”
Ancient Greek
Greek
παῖς / παιδ- (pais / paid-)
“child”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἰατρικός (iatrikos)
“medical; of a physician”
19th Century
English
paediatrics
“the medical treatment of children”
Modern English
English
paediatrics
“the branch of medicine concerned with children’s health”