08/22/2025
Why Are You Called “Patient” at the Doctor?
It can feel like an excruciatingly long wait to hear your name called at the doctor’s office. In those instances, it’s best to remain patient — though that’s not why people visiting the doctor are called “patients.” The etymological root of the word implies a state of suffering, which is what some people feel when visiting a medical professional.
“Patient” is a modern English word derived from the Latin patiens, which comes from the present participle of pati, meaning “to suffer.” It’s also related to the ancient Greek pēma, which means “suffering,” and the Sanskrit pāpman, meaning “want, need.” Middle English speakers spelled the word as “pacient” in the 14th century, and when modern English replaced Middle English in the 16th century, that spelling was altered to “patient.”
While “patient” has been used in a medical context for centuries, some now argue that it’s not a completely appropriate term. Given that “patient” implies suffering — at least etymologically — it doesn’t describe everyone who visits a doctor, especially those who go for routine checkups and elective procedures. Some medical providers have shifted to using terms such as “client,” “partner,” or “service user,” as those don’t inherently paint the person as a pained individual.
And as Paul Harvey would have said, "Now you know - the rest of the story."
