medical (adj.)
"pertaining or relating to the art or profession of healing or those who practice it," 1640s, from French médical, from Late Latin medicalis "of a physician," from Latin medicus "physician, surgeon, medical man" (n.); "healing, medicinal" (adj.), from medeor "to cure, heal," originally "know the best course for," from an early specialization of PIE root *med- "take appropriate measures" (source also of Avestan vi-mad- "physician"). "The meaning of medeor is based on a semantic shift from 'measure' to 'distribute a cure, heal'" [de Vaan]. The earlier adjective in English in this sense was medicinal. Related: Medically.
medical (n.)
1917, short for medical examination. Earlier it was colloquial for "a student or practitioner of medicine" (1823).
updated on December 13, 2018
Dictionary entries near medical
mediation
mediator
medic
medicable
Medicaid
medical
medicament
Medicare
medicaster
medicate
medication
