Etymologically
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médical

Etymology and origin of the French word médical

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1534, Rabelais
Borrowed from
Latin medicalis
Ultimate origin
Latin (medicus)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French médical
English medical

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /me.di.kal/[1]

Forms

médical (feminine médicale, masculine plural médicaux, feminine plural médicales)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin medicālis (“healthy; curable”),[2][3][4] an altered form of classical Latin medicīnālis, the source of médicinal;[2][3][1] both go back to medicus (“physician”).[5][6] Bloch and Wartburg call it a learned derivative of “medicus”.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Rabelais (1534) has doigt medical for the ring finger, an isolated Latinism after Latin digitus medicus and Late Latin digitus medicinalis, explained by physicians' use of that finger to mix remedies.[2][3][7]

Semantic evolution

The word reappears in 1660 (Oudin) meaning “able to cure”, and Rey thinks it, like médicalement (1606), must have been in use from the early 17th century.[2][3] The sense “relating to medicine” is recorded by Trévoux in 1752, and corps médical “the medical profession” in 1834.[2][6] Médical thus displaced médicinal in most uses, the latter keeping only the sense “having curative properties” (plantes médicinales).[3][8] Matière médicale, the study of remedies, is in Tournefort (1717).[8][7] Recent derivatives include médicaliser (about 1970) and paramédical.[3][9]

Timeline

  • 1534 – Doigt medical in Rabelais.[2]
  • 1606 – Médicalement.[2]
  • 1660 – “Able to cure”, in Oudin.[2]
  • 1717 – Matière médicale in Tournefort.[8]
  • 1752 – “Relating to medicine”, in Trévoux.[2]
  • 1834 – Corps médical.[2]
  • c. 1970 – Médicaliser.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Medical, relating to medicine or doctors: études médicales, secret médical, visite médicale.[9][10]
  2. Le corps médical: the medical profession.[9][2]
  3. Visiteur or délégué médical: a pharmaceutical sales representative.[9]
  4. (dated) Able to cure, therapeutic.[2][7]

Word family

  • médicalement
  • médicaliser
  • paramédical
  • médecin
  • médecine
  • médicinal
  • médicament
  • Latin medicus

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 595b
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Borrowed into

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Médical.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/m%C3%A9dical. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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