Of or pertaining to pediatrics, the branch of medicine dealing with the care and treatment of children.
"The pediatric specialist examined the child's fever with great care."
In plain English: Pediatric refers to anything related to babies, children, and teenagers who need medical care.
"The doctor scheduled an appointment at the pediatric clinic for my toddler's checkup."
Usage: Use pediatric as an adjective before nouns like doctor or ward when referring specifically to medical services for infants and young children. It is often paired with adult in contrastive phrases such as "pediatric versus adult" to distinguish between age groups treated by different specialists.
The word pediatric comes from the Greek prefix pedo- meaning "child," combined with a suffix related to medical treatment. It entered English as a term specifically for the branch of medicine dealing with infants and children.