veter

Veter is not a stand-alone word in standard English usage. In English, it most often appears as a morpheme or root within related terms rather than as an independent lexical item.

The most familiar words containing the root are veteran, veterinary, and veterinarian. Veteran refers to a person with long experience in a particular field or, especially in military contexts, someone who has served in the armed forces. Veterinary relates to the medical care and science concerned with animals, and a veterinarian is a professional who treats animals. The linkage among these terms reflects two historical threads. The sense of aging or long experience in veteran is generally traced to Latin roots such as vetus or veterananus, through Old French and Middle English. The veterinary sense derives from Latin or Medieval Latin terms related to cattle and animal care, leading to modern meanings connected with animal medicine and welfare.

In contemporary English, the root form veter- is primarily encountered in these compounds and is not used alone as a noun or adjective. When discussing related concepts, speakers rely on the full words—veteran, veterinary, veterinarian—rather than a standalone “veter.”

See also: veteran; veterinary; veterinarian.