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Spoken English > Learn Spoken English > Why the word 'Doctor' has two diagonally opposite meanings? 1.Change...
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Why the word 'Doctor' has two diagonally opposite meanings? 1.Change the content or appearance of (a document or picture) in order to deceive; falsify. "the reports could have been doctored" 2.Treat (someone) medically. "he contemplated giving up doctoring"

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The meanings are quite similar. They both refer to changing the position of something or someone.
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one is a noun & the other a verb
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Gold Medallist in M.A English Literature from Andhra University.

Many words in English are read contextually it depends on the parts of speech that we use. in the two cases that you mentioned one is used as verb and the other as noun.
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English Language Expert / Applied Linguist

Siraj, If you look carefully, both meanings are semantically related. Doctoring (treating the patient) also means changing the state of a patient from sick to healthy, which is similar to changing the state of something ( tempering) from one state to another.
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English Trainer

Doctor (as a noun), is somebody who treats medically ( as you mentioned), are intentionally misleading patients about their health in order to make more and more money. So they doctor ( as a verb) the reports in order to falsify the patients.Hospitals these days are slaughter house. Treating the patients...
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Doctor (as a noun), is somebody who treats medically ( as you mentioned), are intentionally misleading patients about their health in order to make more and more money. So they doctor ( as a verb) the reports in order to falsify the patients.Hospitals these days are slaughter house. Treating the patients is just business for them. One of the guard of a very famous hospital in Delhi/NCR told me ( when my aunt was hospitalized) that doctors here are instructed to mislead the patients. In case of the rich, they are supposed to make the patient stay in the hospital for a longer duration by fabricating the patient's medical history and reports. read less
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That's the meaning accepted by English linguists & grammarians. There is therefore no point asking as to why & how about this interpretation. Let's simply learn to use the word " doctor" in a correct sense as the questioner has done splendidly.
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English language training

There are quite a few words in English which can have almost opposite meanings. It is called 'enantiosemy,. In the sentence 'He cleaved to his principles despite oppositions.', the word 'cleave' means ' to adhere loyally or unwaveringly' whereas in the sentence 'He cleaved the block.' , it means ' to...
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There are quite a few words in English which can have almost opposite meanings. It is called 'enantiosemy,. In the sentence 'He cleaved to his principles despite oppositions.', the word 'cleave' means ' to adhere loyally or unwaveringly' whereas in the sentence 'He cleaved the block.' , it means ' to split into distinct parts. read less
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E-Tutor for Spoken English, French and Communication

Actually, the meaning of the word "doctor" is Not diagonally opposite, only the situation or context the word is used in is. In reality, to "doctor" something just means to "treat" something in order to "fix" something about it. It is Why that something is being fixed that changes the meaning of "doctor"....
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Actually, the meaning of the word "doctor" is Not diagonally opposite, only the situation or context the word is used in is. In reality, to "doctor" something just means to "treat" something in order to "fix" something about it. It is Why that something is being fixed that changes the meaning of "doctor". For example, when you "doctor" a living thing that is sick or injured, you are trying to "fix" that injury or sickness and return that living thing to a healthier state by "treating" that living thing (which is the second meaning mentioned in your question). Whereas, when you "doctor" a non-living thing like a document or picture, you are again "treating" that non-living thing in order to "fix" something about it, mainly in order to make it look like something else or to make it look authentic (which is when "doctor" will have the first meaning mentioned in your question). Here's an easy trick to remember the difference though: If the "doctoring" is being done to a living thing, it is a medical treatment. But if the "doctoring" is being done to a non-living object, it is usually a method to falsify or fake it. read less
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Accomplished verbalist specializing in IELTS and TOEFL

The transitive verb has a positive connotation as well. Meanings include: a) to give medical treatment to b) to restore to good condition Examples: He had time to doctor his wounds. She doctored the sick child until the physician arrived. Interestingly, the noun came first (first known use...
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The transitive verb has a positive connotation as well. Meanings include: a) to give medical treatment to b) to restore to good condition Examples: He had time to doctor his wounds. She doctored the sick child until the physician arrived. Interestingly, the noun came first (first known use was in the 14th century). The verb came into being much later (1712 A.D). Cheers Siraj read less
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5 years of experience in provide this tuition classes

They are not diagonally opposite;as might have been perceived.Both the uses denote the superimposition to an already existing condition;so,the 'treatment' rendered could be beneficial or hitherto depending upon the narrative discourse.
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