Etymologically
Log in

doc

Etymology and origin of the English word doc

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Clipping
First attested
?1850

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /dɒk/, US /dɑːk/[1]

Etymology

It is a shortening of doctor.[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A doctor, especially a medical one: probably 1850 in the OED and Etymonline.[3][2] Green's Dictionary has it from 1843 in American use, and MWU dates its first sense to 1756.[6][4]

Semantic evolution

It is often used as a term of address, as in what's up, doc?.[5][6] Doc as short for a documentary film is from 1978, as in drama-doc.[3][7] Written doc. is also an abbreviation of document.[5]

Timeline

  • 1756 – first use, in MWU.[4]
  • 1843 – doc, a doctor (American).[6]
  • ?1850 – first OED quotation.[3]
  • 1978 – a documentary.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (informal) A doctor, especially a physician, dentist or vet; often used as a form of address.
  2. (informal) A documentary.

Word family

  • postdoc

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Doc.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/doc. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·