Therapeutist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Someone who provides treatment for illness or disorders, especially by means of a particular healing method
2. A practitioner who administers remedial care to patients, often working in a specialized field of healing
3. A person skilled in applying therapeutic techniques to help restore health or relieve suffering

Etymology: The root is the Greek verb "therapeuein", meaning to attend to, serve, or care for someone. Greek writers used it of servants, of companions, and of those who tended the sick. The related noun "therapon" meant an attendant, and "therapeutes" meant one who ministers to others. Healing grew out of that older sense of attending: caring for someone came first, and curing came to be understood as a form of that care. English borrowed the root through "therapeutic", and "therapeutist" is an English formation built on the same stem as "therapist", with the agent suffix "-ist" added as in "dentist" or "artist". It marks a person who practises therapy, and it is far less common than "therapist", which follows the same pattern.

Synonyms: therapist, practitioner, healer