Meaning & use
Hippocratic oath
Last updated
Meaning
proper nounsingular
A traditional code of medical ethics that doctors swear to follow, named after the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates.
Grammar: Usually used with the definite article: the Hippocratic oath. It is a proper noun, so it is capitalized.
Patterns
- take the Hippocratic oath
- swear the Hippocratic oath
- the Hippocratic oath
Before they begin treating patients, many medical students take the Hippocratic oath.
The Hippocratic oath is often associated with the promise to do no harm.
She recited the Hippocratic oath at her graduation ceremony.
Common combinations
- take the Hippocratic oath
- New doctors take the Hippocratic oath before they start working in hospitals.
- swear the Hippocratic oath
- He swore the Hippocratic oath in front of his family and teachers.
- recite the Hippocratic oath
- The students recited the Hippocratic oath together at the ceremony.
- violate the Hippocratic oath
- Some argue that refusing treatment violates the Hippocratic oath.
Commonly confused: Hippocratic oath or Hippocratic corpus?
Hippocratic oath vs Hippocratic corpus
The Hippocratic corpus is a collection of ancient Greek medical texts, not the oath itself.
Practice
Which sentence uses the Hippocratic oath correctly?
Choose one answer.
The Hippocratic oath is specifically a medical ethics code, so it applies to doctors, not lawyers or everyday mistakes. It is named after the Greek physician Hippocrates, not a Roman emperor.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Hippocratic oath”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.