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Onizo Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

The doctor

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

With this proverb I am not sure why "the" doctor would be used.
What's is the meaning of 'the' here?
1. Gerenal doctors you know
2. The doctor of your family
3. A general doctor you know
  

Top answer

Hi I suppose it is because - in the UK anyway - your doctor is someone that you know personally. They are a named person with professional status and therefore 'the' is correct. A personal pronoun would also work: - I'm going to see my doctor - I'm going to see the doctor If you were travelling abroad and fell ill, it would be: - I need to see a doctor Dave

— Dave_anon

  • Hi I suppose it is because - in the UK anyway - your doctor is someone that you know personally.
  • They are a named person with professional status and therefore 'the' is correct.
  • A personal pronoun would also work: - I'm going to see my doctor - I'm going to see the doctor If you were travelling abroad and fell ill, it would be: - I need to see a doctor Dave
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2 Answers
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Hi

I suppose it is because - in the UK anyway - your doctor is someone that you know personally. They are a named person with professional status and therefore 'the' is correct. A personal pronoun would also work:

- I'm going to see my doctor
- I'm going to see the doctor

If you were travelling abroad and fell ill, it would be:

- I need to see a doctor
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onizoAn apple a day keeps the doctor away.
This proverb was probably first used in the days when it was not unusual for a whole town to have one doctor, if any. So "the doctor" might have meant "the town doctor", i.e., the only doctor there was in town.

I prefer another saying: An apple every eight hours keeps three doctors away.
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