Pediatrics: "Pediatrics is concerned with the health of infants, children and adolescents, their growth and development, and their opportunity to achieve full potential as adults."
[Richard E.Behrman in Nelson's Textbook of Pediatrics]
paediatrics chiefly US, pediatrics
nouns (Medicine) (functioning as singular) the branch of medical science concerned with children and their diseases
[Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers]
pediatrics, paediatrics
the branch of medicine that studies the diseases of children and their treatment. — pediatrician, paediatrician, n.
[Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved]
As seen above, paediatrics is a branch of medicine that deals primarily with the health and illnesses of children. As a matter of fact, the word paediatrics was formed in 1880, as a combination of the Greek word paid-, stem of pais "child" or pedo- plus -iatrics which comes from the from Greek word iatrikos "healing," from iatros "physician, healer," related to iatreuo "treat medically," from iaomai "to cure," from iaino "heat, warm, cheer" which means healing or medical treatment. When put together, the words form the word paediatrics which we commonly find today in hospitals referring to the branch of medicine dedicated specially to the little ones, also known as the ones of the next generation.
