A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that, in most countries, qualifies the holder to teach in the specific field of their certificate.
In some countries, the highest degree in a given field is called a terminal degree, although this is by no means universal (the term is not in general use in the UK, for example), practice varies from country to country, and a distinction is sometimes made between terminal professional degrees and terminal research degrees (such as the J.D. and J.S.D. or S.J.D. in law).
The term doctorate comes from the Latin docere, meaning "to teach."
The "licentiate" degree shortened from the full Latin title licentia docendi, means "teaching licence".