Borrowed fromFrenchmédical, fromMedieval Latinmedicālis, fromLatinmedicus. ReplacedOld Englishlǣċe(“doctor (physician)”), which is cognate withIcelandiclæknir(“doctor”).

• IPA^(key):/ˈmɛdɪkl̩/

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• Hyphenation:med‧i‧cal

medical (not generallycomparable,comparativemoremedical,superlativemostmedical)

1. Of or pertaining to the practice ofmedicine.

   medical doctor;medical student

   Do you have anymedical experience?

   • 2013 June 21,Karen McVeigh, “US rules human genes can't be patented”, inThe Guardian Weekly, volume189, number 2, page10:

     The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care andmedical innovation.

2. Intended to have atherapeutic effect;medicinal.

   medical marijuana;medical cannabis;medical treatment

3. Requiring medical treatment.

   A costlymedical condition can bankrupt you if it doesn't kill you first.

4. Pertaining to the state of one's health.

   medical examinaton;medical exemption;medical history;medical record;medical diagnosis

6. Pertaining to or requiring treatment by other than surgical means.

   Synonyms:nonsurgical,nonoperative

   Antonyms:surgical,operative

   medical ward

8. Pertaining tomedication specifically (that is,pharmacotherapy), rather than to other aspects of medicine and surgery.

   medical oncology, radiation oncology, and surgical oncology

   surgical therapy only whenmedical therapy fails

• (medicinal):curative,therapeutic

• medicational

medical (pluralmedicals)

1. (informal) A medicalexamination.

   You'll have to get amedical before you apply for that job.

   • 2014 August 26, Jamie Jackson, “Ángel di María says Manchester United were the ‘only club’ after Real”, inThe Guardian:

     After completing amedical and the requisite paperwork on Tuesday to seal the deal, Di María said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining Manchester United. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Spain and there were a lot of clubs interested in me, but United is the only club that I would have left Real Madrid for.

   • 2021 November 17, “Network News: Age-related medical requirements”, inRAIL, number944, page 9:

     All UK train drivers must undergo amedical every three years up to the age of 54, and annually from then on.

2. (archaic) A medical practitioner.
   • 1884, Robert Louis Stevenson,The Body Snatcher:

     Wemedicals have a better way than that. When we dislike a friend of ours, we dissect him.

   • 1905,Edward Harper Parker, “Confucianism”, inChina and Religion, New York, N.Y.:E[dward] P[ayson] Dutton and Company,pages67–68:

     There was the school of simplicity, socialism, and universal love, the head of which was a Quixotic Diogenes called Mêh-tsz or Meccius (fifth centuryb.c.); the school of denominationalists, or pedantic adherents to the letter of absolutely defined principles; the legists, or partisans of a system of repression and punishment (on the Plehve-Pobyedonóschtschoff basis); the astrologists, or believers in occult influences; themedicals or elixirists; the sensualists; and many others, recalling to our minds the various divisions of Greek philosophy at the same period.

• medicate
• medicine

• camelid,claimed,decimal,declaim,maliced

medical (not comparable)

1. medical (pertaining tomedicine,health care, etc.)

FromLatinmedicālis, frommedius(“middle”).

medical m

1. Of or relating to themiddle finger.

Borrowed fromFrenchmédical.

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medical m orn (feminine singularmedicală,masculine pluralmedicali,feminine and neuter pluralmedicale)

1. medical