The [[word]] '''physician''' comes from the Ancient [[Greek]] word φύσις (physis) and its derived adjective physikos, meaning "[[nature]]" and "natural". From this, amongst other derivatives came the Vulgar [[Latin]] physicus, which meant a medical practitioner. After the Norman Conquest, the word entered Middle English, via Old French fisicien, as early as 1100. Originally, physician meant a practitioner of physic (pronounced with a hard C). This archaic noun had entered Middle English by 1300 (via Old French fisique). Physic meant the art or [[science]] of treatment with drugs or medications (as opposed to surgery), and was later used both as a verb and also to describe the medications themselves. | The [[word]] '''physician''' comes from the Ancient [[Greek]] word φύσις (physis) and its derived adjective physikos, meaning "[[nature]]" and "natural". From this, amongst other derivatives came the Vulgar [[Latin]] physicus, which meant a medical practitioner. After the Norman Conquest, the word entered Middle English, via Old French fisicien, as early as 1100. Originally, physician meant a practitioner of physic (pronounced with a hard C). This archaic noun had entered Middle English by 1300 (via Old French fisique). Physic meant the art or [[science]] of treatment with drugs or medications (as opposed to surgery), and was later used both as a verb and also to describe the medications themselves. |