locum

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   chiefly British: a professional, especially a doctor, who temporarily performs another person's duties

   The clinic hired a locum while its regular physician recovered from surgery.

2. 2
   noun

   a temporary position or period of work as such a substitute

   She accepted a six-week locum at a rural medical practice.

A shortening of Latin locum tenens ("one holding a place"). Locum is the accusative of locus ("place"), and tenens is the present participle of tenere ("to hold").

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