Surgeon

Definition

A surgeon is a medical practitioner specialized in performing surgical operations to treat diseases, injuries, and deformities.

Parts of Speech

• Noun

Pronunciation

American English

• IPA Pronunciation: /ˈsɜrdʒən/
• Respelling: SUR-juhn (with "SUR" as in "fur" and "juhn" as in "junior" without the "ior")

British English

• IPA Pronunciation: /ˈsɜːdʒən/
• Respelling: SUR-juhn (similar to American English, with "SUR" as in "fur" and "juhn" like in "junior" without the "ior")

In both dialects, "surgeon" is pronounced with the primary stress on the first syllable, "SUR." The pronunciation is consistent across both American and British English, accurately reflecting the word's phonetic structure.

Etymology

The word "surgeon" originates from the Old French serurgien, which came from the Latin chirurgian, derived from the Greek kheirourgia—a compound of kheir, meaning "hand," and ergon, meaning "work." Hence, a surgeon essentially denotes a 'worker by hand.'

Derivatives

• Surgeoncy (noun)
• Surgeon-like (adjective)
• Surgeonship (noun)
• Surgeonless (adjective)
• Non-surgeon (noun)

Synonyms

• Operating doctor
• Surgical specialist
• Chirurgeon (archaic)

Antonyms

None

Usage

The term "surgeon" is primarily used in the medical field to refer to doctors specialized in surgical procedures. It can be prefixed by the field of specialization, like "Cardiac Surgeon," "Neurosurgeon," or "Orthopedic Surgeon."

Related Terms

• Surgery
• Surgical
• Operative
• Chirurgy (obsolete)

Detailed Definition

Noun

• Medical Specialist: A surgeon is a physician who is trained and qualified to perform surgeries on patients.
• Example: The surgeon operated on the patient to remove the tumor.

• Title: The title is used to designate the rank or position of individuals specialized in surgical practices.
• Example: Dr. Smith, the lead surgeon, has over two decades of surgical experience.