Paediatricians

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A medical professional specializing in the health and treatment of infants, children, and adolescents
2. an expert in diagnosing and managing childhood illnesses and developmental issues
3. a practitioner dedicated to ensuring physical and emotional well-being in younger populations

Etymology: "Paediatricians" is simply the plural of "paediatrician," so it follows the same history as the singular form, which is a noun for a doctor who treats children. The word is built from two Greek elements: "pais" (genitive "paidos"), meaning child, and "iatros," meaning physician or healer, the same root that gives English words like "geriatric" and "podiatrist." The "-ician" ending marks a person who practises a particular branch of medicine, the same pattern seen in "physician" itself. Because the root "iatros" appears in so many medical terms, a reader can often decode new ones quickly: "pediatric" describes the field and "paediatrician" names the practitioner. The spelling with "ae" follows the classical Greek source, while American English usually drops it to "pediatrician."