therapeutic

English

Alternative forms

• therapeutick (obsolete)

Etymology

From New Latin therapeuticus (“curing, healing”), from Ancient Greek θεραπευτικός (therapeutikós, “attentive, helpful, obliging, curative”), from θεραπευτής (therapeutḗs, “one who waits on another, an attendant”), from θεραπεύω (therapeúō, “I wait on, attend, serve, cure”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: thĕr'ə-pyo͞oʹtĭk
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌθɛɹ.əˈpjuː.tɪk/,
  • (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌθɛɹ.əˈpju.tɪk/, [ˌθɛɹ.əˈpju.ɾɪk],

    • Audio (US):

      (file)

  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˌθeɹ.əˈpjʉː.tɪk/, [ˌθeɹ.əˈpjʉː.ɾɪk],

Adjective

therapeutic (comparative more therapeutic, superlative most therapeutic)

1. Of, or relating to therapy.
2. Having a positive effect on the body or mind.
   • 2009, Isha McKenzie-Mavinga, Black Issues in the Therapeutic Process:

     His music is very therapeutic when you listen to it.

   • 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick: Or, The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry after Truth, […], 2nd edition, London: […] John Clark and Richard Hett, […], Emanuel Matthews, […], and Richard Ford, […], published 1726, →OCLC:

     Medicine is justly distributed into prophylactic, or the art of preserving health, and therapeutic, or the art of restoring it.

Synonyms

• therapeutical
• curative
• remedial

Derived terms

• actinotherapeutic
• aerotherapeutic
• antitherapeutic
• aromatherapeutic
• autotherapeutic
• bacteriotherapeutic
• balneotherapeutic
• bibliotherapeutic
• biotherapeutic
• brachytherapeutic
• cardiotherapeutic
• chemicotherapeutic
• chemotherapeutic
• chromotherapeutic
• chronotherapeutic
• chrysotherapeutic
• climatotherapeutic
• cotherapeutic
• countertherapeutic
• cybertherapeutic
• cytotherapeutic
• dermatotherapeutic
• dystherapeutic
• ecotherapeutic
• electrotherapeutic
• eutherapeutic
• extra-therapeutic
• extratherapeutic
• fabotherapeutic
• gerontotherapeutic
• heliotherapeutic
• hemotherapeutic
• homeotherapeutic
• hydrotherapeutic
• hypnotherapeutic
• immunotherapeutic
• logotherapeutic
• magnetotherapeutic
• massotherapeutic
• mechanotherapeutic
• metallotherapeutic
• monotherapeutic
• moralistic therapeutic deism
• multitherapeutic
• musicotherapeutic
• nanotherapeutic
• narcotherapeutic
• naturotherapeutic
• neurotherapeutic
• nontherapeutic
• oligotherapeutic
• oncotherapeutic
• organotherapeutic
• osmotherapeutic
• pedotherapeutic
• peritherapeutic
• pharmacotherapeutic
• phototherapeutic
• physiotherapeutic
• phytotherapeutic
• pneumotherapeutic
• polytherapeutic
• posttherapeutic
• pretherapeutic
• pseudotherapeutic
• psychotherapeutic
• pyrotherapeutic
• radiotherapeutic
• sclerotherapeutic
• senotherapeutic
• serotherapeutic
• sociotherapeutic
• somatotherapeutic
• subtherapeutic
• supertherapeutic
• supratherapeutic
• teletherapeutic
• thalassotherapeutic
• therapeutic abortion
• therapeutical
• therapeutically
• therapeutic boarding school
• therapeutic index
• therapeuticize
• therapeutic touch
• therapeutic use exemption
• therapeutic vaccine
• therapeutic window
• thermotherapeutic
• untherapeutic
• urotherapeutic
• vegetotherapeutic
• virotherapeutic
• zootherapeutic

 

Related terms

• therapeutical
• therapeutics
• therapist
• therapy

 

Translations

of, or relating to therapy

• Bulgarian: терапевти́чен (terapevtíčen), лечебен (bg) (lečeben)
• Catalan: terapèutic
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 治療的／治疗的 (zh) (zhìliáo de)

• Czech: léčebný (cs) m, terapeutický
• Dutch: therapeutisch (nl)
• Finnish: terapeuttinen (fi)
• French: thérapeutique (fr)
• Friulian: terapeutic
• Galician: terapéutico (gl)
• German: therapeutisch (de)
• Hungarian: terápiás (hu), gyógyászati (hu)
• Indonesian: terapeutik (id)
• Italian: terapeutico (it)
• Japanese: 治療の (ja) (ちりょうの, chiryō no)
• Kazakh: терапевтік (terapevtık), терапиялық (terapiälyq), емдік (emdık)
• Korean: 치료상의 (chiryosang'ui)
• Latvian: terapeitisks
• Malay: terapeutik
• Polish: terapeutyczny (pl)
• Portuguese: terapêutico (pt) m, terapêutica (pt) f
• Romanian: terapeutic (ro) m or n
• Russian: терапевти́ческий (ru) (terapevtíčeskij), лече́бный (ru) (lečébnyj)
• Spanish: terapéutico (es)
• Ukrainian: терапевти́чний (terapevtýčnyj)

having a positive effect on the body or mind

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 可以起到療法作用的／可以起到疗法作用的, 可以起到疗法作用的 (kěyǐ qǐdào liáofǎ zuòyòng de), 有益健康的 (yǒuyì jiànkāng de)

• Finnish: terapeuttinen (fi)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἀκέσιμος (akésimos)

• Hungarian: terápiás (hu), gyógyító (hu), gyógyhatású (hu), gyógy- (hu)
• Maori: haumanu

Noun

therapeutic (plural therapeutics)

1. (medicine) A therapeutic agent

Further reading

• “therapeutic”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “therapeutic”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “therapeutic”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Interlingua

Adjective

therapeutic (not comparable)

1. therapeutic (pertaining to therapy)

Related terms

• therapia