Medic

How to spell medic

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce medic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does medic mean?

1. nounA person trained to provide medical care, especially a paramedic, military first-aider, or medical student.

Medic in a sentence

• The army medic stabilised the wounded soldier before the helicopter arrived.

• A medic checked the runner's blood pressure at the finish line.

Where does medic come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin medicus, meaning 'a doctor' or 'healer', which itself grew from the verb mederi, 'to heal' or 'to look after'. That same Latin root sits beneath a whole family of familiar English words, including medicine, medical, and remedy, all carrying the idea of treating and curing. The short form 'medic' emerged in English by the seventeenth century as a clipped, informal term for a physician or a student of medicine, echoing the Latin directly rather than passing through French. In the twentieth century it took on a strong military flavour, becoming the everyday word for a soldier trained to give battlefield first aid. Because the word is so short and phonetic, the spelling is straightforward; the one thing to remember is the single 'd' and the plain '-ic' ending rather than '-ick' or '-ique'.

How the word is built

• med- (from Latin medicus: doctor, healer)
• -ic (forming the noun)