doctor
doctor (dŏkʹtər) noun
1. A person, especially a physician, dentist, or veterinarian, trained in the healing arts and licensed to practice.
2. a. A person who has earned the highest academic degree awarded by a college or university in a specified discipline. b. A person awarded an honorary degree by a college or university.
3. Abbr. Dr. Used as a title and form of address for a person holding the degree of doctor.
4. Roman Catholic Church. An eminent theologian.
5. A rig or device contrived for remedying an emergency situation or for doing a special task.
6. Any of several brightly colored artificial flies used in fly fishing.
verb
doctored, doctoring, doctors
Informal.
verb, transitive
1. Informal. To give medical treatment to: "[He] does more than practice medicine. He doctors people. There's a difference" (Charles Kuralt).
2. To repair, especially in a makeshift manner; rig.
3. a. To falsify or change in such a way as to make favorable to oneself: doctored the evidence. b. To add ingredients so as to improve or conceal the taste, appearance, or quality of: doctor the soup with a dash of sherry. See synonyms at adulterate. c. To alter or modify for a specific end: doctored my standard speech for the small-town audience.
verb, intransitive
Informal.
To practice medicine.
[Middle English, an expert, authority, from Old French docteur, from Latin doctor, teacher, from docēre, to teach.]
docʹtoral adjective
docʹtorly adjective