Home

Doutor

Doutor is a Portuguese word with two main meanings: a medical doctor and a person who has earned a doctoral degree (PhD or equivalent). The root is Latin doctor, meaning teacher or learned person. In everyday language, it is also a respectful form of address before a surname, especially for physicians, but also for lawyers and other professionals in some contexts. The feminine form is doutora, and the abbreviation Dr. is widely used in writing.

In Portugal, doutor is an official title for someone who holds a doctoral degree. It is used

In Brazil, the term is widely used as an honorific for professionals such as doctors and lawyers,

in
formal
address
and
appears
on
documents,
with
the
feminine
doutora
for
women.
In
more
informal
settings,
or
when
the
holder
is
a
physician,
the
term
may
be
used
as
a
courtesy
title
before
the
name.
even
when
the
person
does
not
hold
a
doctoral
degree.
It
functions
as
a
sign
of
respect
in
everyday
speech
and
is
common
in
signs
and
business
cards.
The
feminine
form
is
doutora,
and
Dr.
is
also
used
in
writing.