therapy
(ˈθɛrəpɪ)
[ad. mod.L. therapīa, a. Gr. θεραπεία healing: cf. θεραπεύ-ειν to attend medically. Cf. F. thérapie.]
1. The medical treatment of disease; curative medical or psychiatric treatment. See also group therapy s.v. group n. 6 b, occupational therapy s.v. occupational a.
| 1846 Worcester cites Month. R. 1873 Wagner tr. Teuffel's Hist. Rom. Lit. II. 26 The second [treats] of..general pathology and therapy. 1881 Virchow in Nature 11 Aug. 348/1 It will be pointed out to us..that therapy is to be replaced by hygiene. 1894 Lancet 3 Nov. 1044 Serum therapy..is a discovery belonging to M. Behring. |
2. As the final element in words denoting treatment by means expressed in the first element, as actinotherapy, chemotherapy, psycho-therapy, radiotherapy, roentgenotherapy s.v. roentgen-, roentgeno-, etc.