Where does “physician” come from?
Physician comes from Middle English fisicien, from Old French fisicïen, derived from Old French fisique meaning the science of nature, from Latin physica, from Ancient Greek φυσικός meaning of nature, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -kos.
physician (English): A practitioner of physic, i.e. a specialist in...
Definitions
- A practitioner of physic, i.e. a specialist in...
Ancestry of “physician”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fisicien | — |
| 2 | Old French | fisicïen | Alternative form of fisicien; physician |
| 3 | Old French | fisique | art of healing |
| 4 | Latin | physica | natural sciences; natural philosophy; physics;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | φυσικός | natural, produced or caused by nature, inborn,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | φύσις | origin, birth; nature, quality, property; later,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | φύω | To bring forth, produce, generate, cause to grow;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰuHyéti | to be becoming, to be growing, to be appearing |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |