doctoral

Variant of doctor

doctor definition

doc·tor (däktər)

noun

  1. Archaic a teacher or learned man
  2. a person who holds a doctorate
  3. a physician or surgeon (MD)
  4. a person licensed to practice any of the healing arts, as an osteopath, dentist, veterinarian, etc.
  5. a title used in addressing any person who holds a doctorate
  6. a witch doctor or medicine man
  7. a makeshift device, apparatus, etc., for emergency use
  8. a bright-colored artificial fly used in fishing

Etymology: ME doctour, teacher, learned man < OFr or < L doctor, teacher < pp. of docere, to teach: see decent

transitive verb

  1. to try to heal; apply medicine to
  2. to repair; mend
  3. to make suitable or improve by altering in a certain way
  4. to tamper with or change in order to deceive to doctor accounts

intransitive verb

  1. Informal to practice medicine
  2. Dialectal to undergo medical treatment, take medicine, etc.

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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