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> another vague term is "doctor" ... The English definition of "doctor" is not a vague term. It has two common usages, both of which share the concept of one
by AdieuToLogic 2y ago
> another vague term is "doctor" ...
The English definition of "doctor" is not a vague term. It has two common usages, both of which share the concept of one having an advanced degree[0].
a person who has earned one of the highest academic degrees
(such as a PhD) conferred by a university
a person skilled or specializing in healing arts
0 - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doctor https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doctor
- unscaled 2y agoIf we go far back to Latin, the original meaning of "doctor" is, in fact, an education professional and has absolutely nothing to do with medicine. In classical Latin, "doctor" is a teacher or a trainer. In Medieval Latin u In (Middle) English, the earliest recorded use of "doctor" was for church fathers in 1303, but you'd find it widely used for teachers and any knowledgeable person - including medical doctors - as the 13th century goes on. The codification of the Doctor of Medicine degree and license seems only started in the 18th century[1], but doctors of theology and law far predated that (somewhere in the 12th century I think). Even the PhD (i.e. doctor of philosophy) degree appears to predate the medical doctor degree by half a century. [1]: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/medicine/mus/ourfacilities/history/18thcentury/ https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/medicine/mus/ourfacilities/his...