Is doctor a noun or proper noun?

Answer 1

No, the word 'doctor' is not a proper noun. A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, or other entity that can take a specific name.

'Doctor Ann Smith' is the title and name of a specific person, and when used in this way the whole name is a proper noun group, so 'Doctor' takes an initial capital.

Answer 2

No, the compound noun 'medical doctor' is a common noun, a general word for any person licensed to practice medicine.

A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, or thing.

A proper noun for the common noun 'medical doctor' is the name and title of such a person, for example, Christiaan Barnard, MD or Elizabeth Blackwell, MD.

Answer 3

The proper noun for the common noun physician is the name of a physician.

A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, thing, or a title; for example:

• Thomas McAfee MD, Physician in Chief, Health Sciences, University of California, San Diego CA
• Physician Drive, Aiken, SC or Physicians Drive, Jackson, TN
• American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, PA
• "The Physician", movie (expected release 2013) with Ben Kingsley, Stellan Skarsgard

Answer 4

The noun 'physician' is a common noun, a general word for anyone qualified to practice medicine.

A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, or thing. A proper noun for the common noun 'physician' is the name of the physician.

Answer 5

The word "Dr." (capital D) is a proper noun as the title of a specific person.

The word "Doctor" (capital D) is a proper noun as the title of a specific medical professional or a person with an advanced degree.

The word "doctor" (lower case d) is a common noun as a general word for a medical profession or a person with an advanced degree.

Examples:

I called Dr. Porter's office to make an appointment. (proper noun)

I called the doctor's office to make an appointment. (common noun)

Answer 6

The word 'doctor' is a noun, a word for a person.

The noun 'doctor' (lower case d) is a common noun, a general word for any licensed medical practitioner; a general word for a person who has earned or been awarded one of the highest academic degrees.

The noun 'Doctor' (capital D) is a proper noun as the title of a specific person or a specific degree.