Doctrix

Learned borrowing from Latin doctrīx (“a female teacher”), the female equivalent of doctor, by analogy with English Doctor.

Doctrix (plural Doctrices or Doctrixes) (rare)

1. The title of a female doctor, chiefly a physician.

   Synonym: (obsolete, rare) Drss.

   • 1849, “An M.D. in a Gown”, in Punch, or The London Charivari, volume XVI, London: […] Bradbury and Evans, […], →ISSN, →OCLC, page 226, column 2:

     Miss [Elizabeth] Blackwell had duly attended Lectures at the College, and received a formal diploma, under the title of “Domina,” which was the only feminine that the Senate could find for Doctor. […] For Doctrix Blackwell—that’s the way / To dub in rightful gender— / In her profession, ever may / Prosperity attend her!

   • 1875, Belgravia, volume 25, pages 478–479:

     For I observe that at least two ladies (all honour and success to them, say I) have acquired the title of Doctor or Doctrix, and six more, I see, are at this moment engaged in dissecting the human subject at Edinburgh. […] Notoriously is this the case regarding the fair ‘Doctrixes,’ faith in whom appears to be ‘conspicuous by its absence’ amongst female patients.

   • 2018 October 1, Mark Spahn, “Dispositive diaries”, in Not Honyaku‎^[1] (Google Groups), archived from the original on 5 January 2026:

     Do you think Senator Grassley's profession staff investigators don't already know about redaction decryption? I don't think so either. He's just releasing the name of Mr. Redacted in a subtler, more deniable way than the way Senatrix Diane Feinstein released Doctrix Ford's name.

   • 2024 November 18, “116 new Doctrices and Doctores medicinae and medicinae dentalis”, in Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel‎^[2], Basel, archived from the original on 9 December 2024:

     Severin Schwan gave his speech sitting down, as he had undergone knee surgery just two days earlier. He strongly encouraged the new Doctors and Doctrices to define their upcoming tasks themselves and to take on new challenges with a pending mind.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:Doctrix.
2. (fandom slang) A protagonist of the television series Doctor Who (called the Doctor) who is female. [from 1980s]
   • 1997 January 4, Allesandra I., “Dr Who paperbacks for sale”, in alt.drwho.creative‎^[3] (Usenet), archived from the original on 4 January 2026:

     > : Clavicle Squad deserve a mention, too.
     >
     > Oh? I'm partial to female clavicles.
     Then perhaps you can write stories about the Doctrixes... ;D

   • 2000 July 26, I. Inayat, “[TTR]: Infinite Eights”, in alt.drwho.creative‎^[4] (Usenet), archived from the original on 4 January 2026:

     The Infinity Doctor rolled his eyes. 'Honestly... You'd think no-one ever read the comic strip any more... The doll-Doctor-' (the giant grimaced at this, but said nothing.) '-appeared in Endgame. That's the _strip_ Endgame, not the book. Clear? The others have all appeared in The Glorious Dead. And, as she said-' (he nodded at the Eighth Doctrix) '-it is a very long story...'

   • 2014 December 26, Walabio, “⸘Doctrix Whooves‽”, in FIMFiction‎^[5], archived from the original on 5 January 2025:

     Speaking about Doctrices, the show should have a run of Doctrices following the 1st Doctrix: […] The BBC should give us at least 8 consecutive Doctrices before returning to another Doctor and then have a similar run of Doctors, such as 5 which is the maximum number of fingers existent TetraPods have and like 8 is also a FibonacciNumber, before returning to a new run of Doctrices.

   • 2022 August 16, D[enis] G[eorge] Valdron, “1985 - THE HUES OF DOOM, (4 minutes, England, Animated, 6th Doctor, 5th Doctor)”, in A Pirate’s History of Doctor Who, 2nd edition, Winnipeg, Man.: Fossil Cove Press, →ISBN, chapter 6 (The Mid-80s, the Rise of Fandom), “Films” section, page 153:

     Barbara O’Quinn was an English fan known for writing for a contemporary British fanzine named Tardis. She also wrote fan fictions about the ‘Doctrix’[,] a female version(s) of the Doctor. This was a little bit racy for its time, with allusions to John Nathan-Turner’s sexual orientation.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:Doctrix.