/ prækˈtɪʃənə(r); NAmE / noun
1.
( technical ) a person who works in a profession, especially medicine or law :
dental practitioners
a qualified practitioner
—see also general practitioner
2.
( formal ) a person who regularly does a particular activity, especially one that requires skill :
one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: extension of obsolete practitian , variant of practician , from Old French practicien , from practique practical, via late Latin from Greek praktikos concerned with action, from prattein do, act.