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.
However, other medical providers and many recipients themselves see no issue with referring to people as “patients,” as terms such as “client” and “provider” have been shunned for being too commercialized. In a 2018 article for The Psychiatrist, Dr. Jawan Adil wrote, “Patients themselves like to be called patients,” and pointed to several studies on the topic. Despite the etymology being rooted in suffering, there seems to be comfort in the long-established meaning of “patient” being a recipient of medical care.
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