Etymologically
Log in

vet

Etymology and origin of the English word vet

History Permalink

Vet, a veterinarian, and vet, a veteran, are separate clippings.[1][2][3]

Pronunciation

vet1 veterinarian

Confidence
Established
Formation
Clipping
First attested
1862

Etymology

The animal doctor is a clipping of veterinarian or veterinary surgeon.[1][2][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A veterinary surgeon: 1862.[1][2][7]

Semantic evolution

The verb, to give an animal veterinary care, is from 1891, first in the language of stock traders and horse racing; some members of the profession objected to it.[2][1][7] To examine a person medically is from 1898,[7] and the figurative sense, to examine carefully, is first recorded in Kipling's Traffics and Discoveries (1904).[1][7] In slang a vet was a doctor of medicine (1925).[7]

Timeline

  • 1862 – a vet, veterinary surgeon.[1][7]
  • 1891 – to vet an animal.[1][7]
  • 1904 – to vet, scrutinize.[1]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A veterinarian; a veterinary surgeon.

Verb

  1. To examine carefully and critically, as a person or a document: the candidates were well vetted.
  2. To examine or treat an animal.

Word family

  • vetting

vet2 veteran

Confidence
Established
Formation
Clipping
First attested
1848

Etymology

The veteran is a clipping of veteran, in American English.[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A veteran: 1848, in North American use.[1][2][7]

Timeline

  • 1848 – a vet, veteran (US).[1][7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (North America, informal) A veteran, especially of the armed forces.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Vet.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/vet. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·