What is the Latin word for physician?

The usual Latin words for “physician” are medicus, medeor, medicīnus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“physician” in Latin

medicushealing, curative, medical; magic medeorto heal, cure, remedy, be good for or against a disease; to amend, correct, relieve medicīnusOf or pertaining to doctors and healing; medical, medicinal

The English word physician itself goes back to Latin physica.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

physician

medicus: medens (Curt., Tac., etc.): medendi or medicinae peritus. A celebrated physician, medicina or arte medicinae clarus. A skilful physician, medicus artifex (Cels.); *medicus, ad medendum utilis (Muret.): A physician who kills all his patients, who is a good friend to the undertaker, medicus animas negotians (Plin., 28, 1, 5): to employ or consult a physician, medico uti or medieum adhibere (both Cic.): medicum admovere (Suet.): medici opera et consilio uti, medico se curandum tradere (after Cic.): you will get well, whether you employ a physician or not, sive medicum adhibueris, sive non, convalesces (Cic.): to fetch a physician, medicum ad aegrotum adducere (Cic.); medicum arcessere (Plaut.): to run and fetch physicians, medicos cogere: to call in a physician, ad medicum se conferre (Cic.): to pay a physician his fee, medico honorem habere (Cic., Fam., 6, 19, 3) medico dare aliquid. A quack physician [Vid: QUACK]. A physician’s fee, honos, qui medico habetur; merces medici: to be in the hands of the physicians, in potestate medentium esse (Curt.).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for physician?: The usual Latin words for “physician” are medicus, medeor, medicīnus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.