# medical

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈmɛdɪkl̩/ · frequency rank #714

## Definitions
1. Of or pertaining to the practice of medicine.
2. Intended to have a therapeutic effect; medicinal.
3. Requiring medical treatment.
4. Pertaining to the state of one's health.
5. Pertaining to or requiring treatment by other than surgical means.
6. Pertaining to medication specifically (that is, pharmacotherapy), rather than to other aspects of medicine and surgery.

## Etymology
Borrowed from French médical, from Medieval Latin medicālis, from Latin medicus. Replaced Old English lǣċe (“doctor (physician)”), which is cognate with Icelandic læknir (“doctor”).

## Easily confused with
- **Medina** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medical-vs-medina)
- **Medici** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medical-vs-medici)
- **menial** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medical-vs-menial)
- **musical** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medical-vs-musical)
- **Mexican** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medical-vs-mexican)
- **medieval** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medical-vs-medieval)
- **medicare** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medical-vs-medicare)
- **medicinal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medical-vs-medicinal)
- **medically** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medical-vs-medically)
- **media** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/media-vs-medical)
- **medal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medal-vs-medical)
- **medic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medic-vs-medical)
- **median** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/median-vs-medical)
- **medial** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medial-vs-medical)
- **magical** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/magical-vs-medical)
- **Medicaid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/medicaid-vs-medical)

## Common misspellings (10)
`emdical`, `mdeical`, `medcial`, `meddical`, `mediacl`, `medicall`, `mediccal`, `medicla`, `meidcal`, `mmedical`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/medical