Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Medicine

Med′i-cine

,
Noun.
[L.
medicina
(sc.
ars
), fr.
medicinus
medical, fr.
medicus
: cf. F.
médecine
. See
Medical
.]
1.
The science which relates to the prevention, cure, or alleviation of disease.
2.
Any substance administered in the treatment of disease; a remedial agent; a medication; a drug; a pharmaceutical; a medicament; a remedy; physic.
By
medicine
, life may be prolonged.
Shakespeare
3.
A philter or love potion.
[Obs.]
Shak.
4.
[F.
médecin
.]
A physician.
[Obs.]
Shak.
Medicine bag
,
a charm; – so called among the North American Indians, or in works relating to them.
–
Medicine man
(among the North American Indians),
a person who professes to cure sickness, drive away evil spirits, and regulate the weather by the arts of magic; a shaman.
–
Medicine seal
,
a small gem or paste engraved with reversed characters, to serve as a seal. Such seals were used by Roman physicians to stamp the names of their medicines.

Med′i-cine

,
Verb.
T.
To give medicine to; to affect as a medicine does; to remedy; to cure.
“Medicine thee to that sweet sleep.”
Shak.

Webster 1828 Edition

Medicine

MED'ICINE

,
Noun.
[L. medicina, from medeor, to cure; vulgarly and improperly pronounced med'sn.]
1.
Any substance, liquid or solid, that has the property of curing or mitigating disease in animals, or that is used for that purpose. Simples, plants and minerals furnish most of our medicines. Even poisons used with judgment and in moderation, are safe and efficacious medicines. Medicines are internal or external, simple or compound.
2.
The art of preventing, curing or alleviating the diseases of the human body. Hence we say, the study of medicine, or a student of medicine.
3.
In the French sense, a physician. [Not in use.]

MED'ICINE

,
Verb.
T.
To affect or operate on as medicine. [Not used.]

Definition 2024

medicine

medicine

English

Alternative forms

Noun

medicine ‎(countable and uncountable, plural medicines)

  1. A substance which specifically promotes healing when ingested or consumed in some way.
  2. A treatment or cure.
  3. The study of the cause, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of disease or illness.
  4. The profession of physicians, surgeons and related specialisms; those who practice medicine.
  5. Ritual Native American magic used by a medicine man to promote a desired outcome in healing, hunting, warfare etc.
  6. Among the Native Americans, any object supposed to give control over natural or magical forces, to act as a protective charm, or to cause healing.
    • (Can we date this quote?), F. H. Giddings, (Please provide the title of the work):
      The North American Indian boy usually took as his medicine the first animal of which he dreamed during the long and solitary fast that he observed at puberty.
  7. (obsolete) black magic, superstition.
  8. (obsolete) A philtre or love potion.
    • 1597, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part I, II. ii. 18:
      If the rascal have not given me medicines to make me love him, I'll be hanged. It could not be else. I have drunk medicines.
  9. (obsolete) A physician.
  10. (slang) recreational drugs, especially alcoholic drinks

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

medicine ‎(third-person singular simple present medicines, present participle medicining, simple past and past participle medicined)

  1. (rare, obsolete) To treat with medicine.
    • 1857, Delia Bacon, The philosophy of the plays of Shakspere unfolded:
      And we shall find, under the head of the medicining of the body, some things on the subject of medicine in general, which could be better said there than here, because of the wrath of professional dignitaries,- the eye of the 'basilisk,' was not perhaps quite so terrible in that quarter then, as it was in some others.

See also

References

  • Prescription Desk Reference, Prescription Drug Information:
  • “medicine” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
  • "medicine" in the Merriam-Webster On-line dictionary
  • "medicine" in the Hutchinson Encyclopaedia, Helicon Publishing LTD 2007.
  • medicine in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
  • medicine at OneLook Dictionary Search

Italian

Noun

medicine f

  1. plural of medicina

Anagrams

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French medecine, with the i added back to reflect the original Latin medicīna.

Noun

medicine f (plural medicines)

  1. medicine (act of practising medical treatment)

Descendants

Etymology

From Middle English medicin, from Old French, from Latin medicīna ‎(“the healing art, medicine, a physician's shop, a remedy, medicine”), feminine of medicinus ‎(“of or belonging to physic or surgery, or to a physician or surgeon”), from medicus ‎(“a physician, surgeon”), from medeor ‎(“I heal”).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) enPR: ˈmed-sǐn, ˈmed-sn, IPA(key): /ˈmɛd.sɪn/, /ˈmɛd.sn̩/
  • (US) enPR: ˈmed-ĭ-sĭn, IPA(key): /ˈmɛ.dɪ.sɪn/
  • (Weak-vowel merger) IPA(key): [ˈmɛ.də.sən]

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