1650s, "physician; medical student," from Latin medicus "physician" (see medical (adj.)); modern sense of "serviceman in a military medical corps" is recorded by 1925.
Entries linking to medic
medical adj.
"pertaining or relating to the art or profession of healing or those who practice it," 1640s, from French médical, from Late Latin medicalis "of a physician," from Latin medicus "physician, surgeon, medical man" (n.); "healing, medicinal" (adj.), from medeor "to cure, heal," originally "know the best course for," from an early specialization of PIE root *med- "take appropriate measures" (source also of Avestan vi-mad- "physician"). "The meaning of medeor is based on a semantic shift from 'measure' to 'distribute a cure, heal'" [de Vaan]. The earlier adjective in English in this sense was medicinal. Related: Medically.
med n.
by 1851 as a shortening of medic. As a colloquial shortening of medicine, by 1942. With a capital M and short for Mediterranean, by 1948. Meds as a shortening of medications is attested in hospital jargon by 1965.
paramedic n.
"medical technician," 1970, back-formation from paramedical. The meaning "medical corpsman who parachutes" is 1951 from parachute + medic.