The domain, community, or profession of doctors collectively; the world or state of being a doctor.
From 'doctor' + '-dom' suffix (meaning domain, state, or collective body), similar to 'kingdom,' 'wisdom,' and 'boredom.' This pattern was productive in Middle English.
The '-dom' suffix is a linguistic time capsule—it comes from Old English 'dōm' (judgment) and appears in words from when kingdoms were literal domains ruled by judges: kingdom, dukedom, earldom, all meaning the territory ruled by that person.
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