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médecin

Etymology and origin of the French word médecin

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Confidence
Probable
Formation
Back-formation
First attested
14th century, Hugues Capet (medechin)
Ultimate origin
Latin (medeor)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /med.sɛ̃/[1]
  • IPA: /mɛd.sɛ̃/[1]

Forms

médecin m or f by sense (plural médecins)[1] Picard medechin (14th century), medicin (1458), medecin (about 1480); the Académie wrote me- in 1694 and 1718, mé- from 1740.[2]

Etymology

The TLFi takes it as probably a back-formation from médeciner “to treat medically”, also “mediciner” in the old language, Wiktionary agrees.[2][1] The Grand Robert, the GLLF and the Petit Robert derive it from médecine, which goes back to Latin medicīna, from medicus (“physician”), from medeor (“to heal”).[3][4][5][6] Littré instead took it from a Latin “medicīnus”.[7]

It drove out Old French mire, chiefly Norman and Picard, and the dialect forms “mie” and “mege”, from medicus, “mège” survives in some dialects for a healer without a diploma.[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Picard form medechin in the chanson de geste Hugues Capet (14th century), meaning one who practises medicine.[2][4][3]

Semantic evolution

By the end of the 14th century Eustache Deschamps used it figuratively of a thing that heals like a doctor.[2] Pascal calls a person who heals moral suffering a médecin (1656), and Richelet records médecin des âmes (1680).[2][4] Furetière (1690) has the médecin de quartier, who attended a sovereign for a quarter of the year, and the médecin consultant; the premier médecin of a prince is in Mme de Sévigné (1679).[4][8] Médecin-major (1825), médecin de campagne (Balzac, 1833) and médecin traitant (1872) followed.[4][2]

Timeline

  • 14th century – Medechin, Hugues Capet.[2]
  • Late 14th century – Figurative use, Eustache Deschamps.[2]
  • 1458 – Medicin.[2]
  • c. 1480 – Medecin.[2]
  • 1656 – A healer of the soul, Pascal.[2]
  • 1660 – Mire last recorded, by Oudin.[2]
  • 1690 – Médecin consultant, Furetière.[2]
  • 1825 – Médecin-major.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A doctor, physician: aller chez le médecin, médecin de famille, médecin traitant, médecin généraliste, spécialiste.[5][9][1]
  2. Médecin légiste: a forensic pathologist, médecin du travail, an occupational physician.[2][4]
  3. (figurative) One who heals moral ills: médecin des âmes.[2][4]

Usage notes

The noun is masculine in form; for a woman one says une femme médecin or elle est médecin.[10][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 602b
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Médecin.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/m%C3%A9decin. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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