Therapy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈθɛɹ.ə.pi/

Definitions

1. Treatment aimed at relieving or healing a disorder through various methods including counseling, medication, or physical techniques
2. The process of providing assistance to individuals with mental or physical health issues through specialized interventions, support systems, and various therapeutic modalities
3. A systematic approach to improving well-being and health by employing counseling, medications, or alternative methods tailored to individual needs

Etymology: The Greek word "therapeia" originally meant service rather than medicine. In Homer's world, a "therapon" was an attendant or companion, someone who waited on a person of rank, and the verb "therapeuo" meant to serve or attend to someone. Only later did the idea of serving a sick person narrow into treating one, so the medical sense was a specialization of older, humbler work. The English term came through New Latin, the scholarly Latin used by early modern scientists and physicians. The Greek noun "therapeia" was adopted as "therapia" and then given the form "therapy" in English. The suffix "-ia" is simply the Greek ending used to turn an action into a noun, so "therapeia" means something like "the act of attending to" someone.

Synonyms: treatment, cure, healing

Antonyms: harm, injury