medicine

💊

Meaning

1. A substance which specifically promotes healing when ingested or consumed in some way; a pharmaceutical drug.
2. Any treatment or cure.
3. The study of the cause, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of disease or illness.
4. The profession and practice of physicians, including surgeons.
5. The profession and practice of physicians, including surgeons.
6. Ritual magic used, as by a medicine man, to promote a desired outcome in healing, hunting, or warfare; traditional medicine.
7. 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.
8. (obsolete) Black magic, superstition.
9. (obsolete) A philter or love potion.
10. (obsolete) A physician.
11. (slang) Recreational drugs, especially alcoholic drinks.

drug

medical science

medicinal drug

practice of medicine

healing art

liquid medicine

medical specialty

medical sciences

medicamentum

medical treatment

science of medicine

med.

drug powder

narcotic drug

pharmaceutical product

healing arts

Frequency

Hyphenated as

me‧di‧cine

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmɛd.ɪ.s(ɪ)n/

From Middle English medicin, from Middle French medicine, from Old French medecine, from Latin medicīna (“the healing art, medicine, a physician's shop, a remedy, medicine”), feminine of medicīnus (“of or belonging to physic or surgery, or to a physician or surgeon”), from medicus (“a physician, surgeon”). The extended sense of "Indigenous magic" is a calque of Ojibwe mashkiki (“medicine”) or mide (or cognates in related languages) when used in compounds such as Grand Medicine Society, medicine lodge, medicine dance, medicine bag, medicine wheel, medicine man, Medicine Line, and bad medicine or place names such as Medicine Hat, Medicine Creek, etc.

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