noun ·4 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The branch of medicine that focuses on mental and behavioral health by subjectively diagnosing, treating, or preventing mental disorders (mental illnesses) and behavioural conditions. uncountable, usually
2. 2
   the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

alienistmedicinepsychological medicinepsychopathology

Example

More examples

"Maria works in the field of psychiatry."

Etymology

First attested in 1846. From French psychiatrie, from Medieval Latin psȳchīātria. By surface analysis, psych- + -iatry.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.