Definition of "doctor" []

• A person, especially a physician, dentist, or veterinarian, trained in the healing arts and licensed to practice. (noun)
• A person who has earned the highest academic degree awarded by a college or university in a specified discipline. (noun)
• A person awarded an honorary degree by a college or university. (noun)
• Used as a title and form of address for a person holding the degree of doctor. (noun)
• Roman Catholic Church An eminent theologian. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He took the degree of doctor of theology, and seems to have received the complimentary title of _doctor mirabilis_."
• "This is often confusing to many who limit their use of the term doctor to refer to medical physicians, such as psy­chiatrists and cardiologists."
• "OZ: The word "doctor" comes from the Latin word for teacher, and like any teacher/pupil relationship, it is a two-way street and I learn much from my patients especially about these topics, so I encourage viewers to talk openly with their physicians about this and actually push their doctors a little bit to open up about integrative therapies including, prayer and meditation."