Definition

A person who is not a medical doctor or physician.

Example

In many healthcare settings, a nonphysician can provide valuable support and care to patients.

Conversation

I was surprised to learn that a nonphysician can also provide some medical advice.

Really? I thought only doctors could do that.

Yeah, there are professionals like nurse practitioners who are nonphysician providers.

That makes sense; they must have a lot of training too.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Nonphysician → It is formed from "non-" (meaning not) and "physician" (from Latin "physicus", meaning a person skilled in medicine). The word "nonphysician" refers to someone who is not a medical doctor or does not practice medicine.

Memory Tip

Think of 'non-' meaning 'not' and 'physician' as someone skilled in medicine — so a nonphysician is simply someone who is not a doctor.

Visually Confused Words