Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

locum tenens

/ˌləʊkəm ˈtɛnɛns/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.89 in modern English

Syllables: locum te-nens
IPA: /ˌləʊkəm ˈtɛnɛns/

15

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A professional person (such as a doctor or clergyman) who temporarily fulfills the duties of another.

Example Sentences

"[…] who speedily installed his Son […] into the office of Collector of Taxes, as a warming-pan, or locum tenens, till his Father-in-Law's twelvemonths of mock-heroic dignity had expired—or he should think proper to resume the Collectorship."
""I expected better things of you, Professor Summerlee." "You must remember," said Summerlee, sourly, "that I have a large class in London who are at present at the mercy of an extremely inefficient locum tenens.""

Etymology

Existing in English since the seventeenth century: from Medieval Latin locum tenēns (literally “one holding a place”). Doublet of lieutenant.

Word Breakdown

Root: locum tenēns

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˌləʊkəm ˈtɛnɛns/

Inflected Forms

locum tenentes (plural) locos tenentes (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

locum locus tenant

Synonyms

locum proxy stand-in

Questions

How do you pronounce locum tenens?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌləʊkəm ˈtɛnɛns/.
What does locum tenens mean?: A professional person (such as a doctor or clergyman) who temporarily fulfills the duties of another.
Where does locum tenens come from?: Existing in English since the seventeenth century: from Medieval Latin locum tenēns (literally “one holding a place”). Doublet of lieutenant.

How to pronounce locum tenens

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