doctored
|doc-tor-ed|
🇺🇸
/ˈdɑktərd/
🇬🇧
/ˈdɒktəd/
(doctor)
medical practitioner
Etymology
'doctored' derives from the verb 'doctor', which comes from Latin 'doctor' (meaning 'teacher' or 'one who teaches') — from the verb 'docēre' meaning 'to teach.'
'doctor' entered English via Old French 'docteur' and Medieval Latin 'doctor'; over time it came to refer to a medical practitioner, and the verb 'to doctor' (to treat medically or to tamper/alter) developed from that noun; 'doctored' is the past/past-participle form formed with the regular -ed ending.
Originally it meant 'teacher' or 'learned person', then it came to mean 'physician' in English; later the verb sense broadened to include both 'to treat medically' and the figurative 'to tamper with or falsify,' which is the sense behind 'doctored' when meaning 'altered dishonestly.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
past tense or past participle form of 'doctor' meaning 'to treat (someone) medically or give medical care.'
He doctored the wounded soldier until help arrived.
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Verb 2
past tense or past participle form of 'doctor' meaning 'to alter or tamper with (something) dishonestly or fraudulently.'
The accountant doctored the books to hide the losses.
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Adjective 1
altered, manipulated, or faked (often describing documents, images, or data).
The photograph was clearly doctored to remove the other person.
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Last updated: 2025/09/02 21:40