Physician
/fɪˈzɪʃən/noun
A person qualified to diagnose and treat illness, especially a medical doctor.
Did you know?Its deepest root, Greek *phýsis*, means “nature,” so a physician was originally someone who worked with the body as part of the natural order, not a modern hospital title.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰuH-
“to grow, to become, to come into being”
Ancient Greek
Greek
φύσις (phýsis)
“nature, natural growth, constitution”
Late Greek
Greek
φυσικός (physikós)
“natural; skilled in nature”
Latin
Latin
physicus
“natural philosopher; one versed in natural science”
Old French
Old French
fisicien / phisicien
“a practitioner of medicine”
Middle English
English
phisicien
“a medical doctor”
Modern English
English
physician
“a medical doctor”
Explore more surprising origins