1. (n.) A teacher; one skilled in a profession, or branch of knowledge learned man.

2. (n.) An academic title, originally meaning a men so well versed in his department as to be qualified to teach it. Hence: One who has taken the highest degree conferred by a university or college, or has received a diploma of the highest degree; as, a doctor of divinity, of law, of medicine, of music, or of philosophy. Such diplomas may confer an honorary title only.

3. (n.) One duly licensed to practice medicine; a member of the medical profession; a physician.

4. (n.) Any mechanical contrivance intended to remedy a difficulty or serve some purpose in an exigency; as, the doctor of a calico-printing machine, which is a knife to remove superfluous coloring matter; the doctor, or auxiliary engine, called also donkey engine.

5. (n.) The friar skate.

6. (v. t.) To treat as a physician does; to apply remedies to; to repair; as, to doctor a sick man or a broken cart.

7. (v. t.) To confer a doctorate upon; to make a doctor.

8. (v. t.) To tamper with and arrange for one's own purposes; to falsify; to adulterate; as, to doctor election returns; to doctor whisky.

9. (v. i.) To practice physic.

Thesaurus Entries