medicine

[ med-uh-sin or, esp. British, med-suhn ]
/ ˈmɛd ə sɪn or, esp. British, ˈmɛd sən /

noun

any substance or substances used in treating disease or illness; medicament; remedy.
the art or science of restoring or preserving health or due physical condition, as by means of drugs, surgical operations or appliances, or manipulations: often divided into medicine proper, surgery, and obstetrics.
the art or science of treating disease with drugs or curative substances, as distinguished from surgery and obstetrics.
the medical profession.
(among North American Indians) any object or practice regarded as having magical powers.

verb (used with object), med·i·cined, med·i·cin·ing.

to administer medicine to.

Idioms for medicine

    give someone a dose/taste of his/her own medicine, to repay or punish a person for an injury by use of the offender's own methods.
    take one's medicine, to undergo or accept punishment, especially deserved punishment: He took his medicine like a man.

Origin of medicine

1175–1225; Middle English medicin < Latin medicīna ( ars) healing (art), feminine of medicīnus pertaining to a physician. See medical, -ine1

OTHER WORDS FROM medicine

an·ti·med·i·cine, adjective su·per·med·i·cine, noun

Definition for medicine (2 of 2)

medical dictionary

noun

a specialized dictionary covering terms used in the health professions by doctors, nurses, and others involved in allied health care services. A dictionary with authoritative spellings and definitions is a particularly crucial resource in medicine, where a misspelling or misunderstanding can have unfortunate consequences for people under care. Print dictionaries in this field may be sorted alphabetically or may be categorized according to medical specializations or by the various systems in the body, as the immune system and the respiratory system. The online Medical Dictionary on Dictionary.com allows alphabetical browsing in the combined electronic versions of more than one authoritative medical reference, insuring access to correct spellings, as well as immediate, direct access to a known search term typed into the search box on the site: A medical dictionary reveals that large numbers of medical terms are formed from the same Latin and Greek parts combined and recombined.

Example sentences from the Web for medicine

British Dictionary definitions for medicine

medicine
/ (ˈmɛdɪsɪn, ˈmɛdsɪn) /

noun

Word Origin for medicine

C13: via Old French from Latin medicīna ( ars) (art of) healing, from medicus doctor, from medērī to heal

Medical definitions for medicine

medicine
[ mĕdĭ-sĭn ]

n.

The science of diagnosing, treating, or preventing disease and other damage to the body or mind.
The branch of this science encompassing treatment by drugs, diet, exercise, and other nonsurgical means.
The practice of medicine.
An agent, such as a drug, used to treat disease or injury.

Scientific definitions for medicine

medicine
[ mĕdĭ-sĭn ]

The scientific study or practice of diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases or disorders of the body or mind of a person or animal.
An agent, such as a drug, used to treat disease or injury.

Idioms and Phrases with medicine

medicine

see dose of one's own medicine; take one's medicine.