adj · noun · 12 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈmɛdɪkl̩/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:M EH1 D AH0 K AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:M EH1 D IH0 K AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of or pertaining to the practice of medicine.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
Examples
medical doctor; medical student
Do you have any medical experience?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Intended to have a therapeutic effect; medicinal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
Examples
medical marijuana; medical cannabis; medical treatment
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Requiring medical treatment.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
Examples
A costly medical condition can bankrupt you if it doesn't kill you first.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
Pertaining to the state of one's health.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
Examples
medical examination; medical exemption; medical history; medical record; medical diagnosis
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adj
Meaning 5
Pertaining to or requiring treatment by other than surgical means.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
Examples
medical ward
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: nonsurgical, nonoperative
Antonyms: surgical, operative
6
adj
Meaning 6
Pertaining to medication specifically (that is, pharmacotherapy), rather than to other aspects of medicine and surgery.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
Examples
medical oncology, radiation oncology, and surgical oncology
surgical therapy only when medical therapy fails
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
A medical examination.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
Examples
You'll have to get a medical before you apply for that job.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
A medical practitioner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
adjective
Meaning 9
requiring or amenable to treatment by medicine especially as opposed to surgery
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
medical treatment
pneumonia is a medical disease
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: surgical
10
adjective
Meaning 10
of or belonging to Aesculapius or the healing art
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: aesculapian
Antonyms: none provided
11
adjective
Meaning 11
relating to the study or practice of medicine
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the medical profession
a medical student
medical school
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
noun
Meaning 12
a thorough physical examination; includes a variety of tests depending on the age and sex and health of the person
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: checkup, medical checkup, medical examination, medical exam, health check
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: examination, scrutiny
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *med-der. Proto-Italic *medēōrder. Latin medeor Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin medicus Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Medieval Latin medicālisbor. French médicalbor. English medical Borrowed from French médical, from Medieval Latin medicālis, from Latin medicus. Replaced Old English lǣċe (“doctor (physician)”), which is cognate with Icelandic læknir (“doctor”).
Across languages
Translations
62 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
mjekësor
— of the practice of medicine
Arabic:
طِبِّيّ
(ṭibbiyy)
— of the practice of medicine
Armenian:
բժշկական
(bžškakan)
— of the practice of medicine
Azerbaijani:
tibbi
— of the practice of medicine
Bulgarian:
медици́нски
(medicínski)
— of the practice of medicine
Catalan:
mèdic
— of the practice of medicine
Chinese Mandarin:
醫 /医
(yī)
— of the practice of medicine
Chinese Mandarin:
藥 /药
(yào)
— of the practice of medicine
Czech:
lékařský
— of the practice of medicine
Danish:
medicinsk
— of the practice of medicine
Dutch:
medisch
— of the practice of medicine
Esperanto:
medicina
— of the practice of medicine
Finnish:
lääketieteellinen
— of the practice of medicine
Finnish:
lääkäri-
— of the practice of medicine
Finnish:
lääketieteen
— of the practice of medicine
Finnish:
lääketiede-
— of the practice of medicine
Finnish:
lääkehoito-
— of the practice of medicine
Finnish:
lääkinnällinen
— of the practice of medicine
French:
médical
— of the practice of medicine
Galician:
médico
— of the practice of medicine
Georgian:
სამედიცინო
(samedicino)
— of the practice of medicine
Georgian:
საექიმო
(saekimo)
— of the practice of medicine
German:
medizinisch
— of the practice of medicine
German:
ärztlich
— of the practice of medicine
Greek:
ιατρικός
(iatrikós)
— of the practice of medicine
Ancient Greek:
ἰατρικός
(iatrikós)
— of the practice of medicine
Hebrew:
רפואי \ רְפוּאִי
(refuí)
— of the practice of medicine
Hungarian:
orvosi
— of the practice of medicine
Icelandic:
læknisfræðilegur
— of the practice of medicine
Indonesian:
medis
— of the practice of medicine
Italian:
medico
— of the practice of medicine
Kazakh:
медициналық
(medisinalyq)
— of the practice of medicine
Latvian:
medicīnisks
— of the practice of medicine
Norwegian Bokmål:
medisinsk
— of the practice of medicine
Norwegian Nynorsk:
medisinsk
— of the practice of medicine
Persian:
طبی
(tebbi)
— of the practice of medicine
Polish:
medyczny
— of the practice of medicine
Polish:
lekarski
— of the practice of medicine
Portuguese:
médico
— of the practice of medicine
Russian:
медици́нский
(medicínskij)
— of the practice of medicine
Russian:
враче́бный
(vračébnyj)
— of the practice of medicine
Scottish Gaelic:
lèigh
— of the practice of medicine
Scottish Gaelic:
meadaigeach
— of the practice of medicine
Serbo-Croatian:
medicinski
— of the practice of medicine
Slovak:
lekársky
— of the practice of medicine
Slovene:
medicínski
— of the practice of medicine
Spanish:
médico
— of the practice of medicine
Swedish:
medicinsk
— of the practice of medicine
Tajik:
тиббӣ
(tibbi)
— of the practice of medicine
Turkish:
tıbbi
— of the practice of medicine
Ottoman Turkish:
طبی
(tıbbî)
— of the practice of medicine
Ukrainian:
меди́чний
(medýčnyj)
— of the practice of medicine
Ukrainian:
лі́карський
(líkarsʹkyj)
— of the practice of medicine
Urdu:
طِبّی
(tibbī)
— of the practice of medicine
Uyghur:
تىببىي
(tibbiy)
— of the practice of medicine