antidote

[ an-ti-doht ]
See synonyms for antidote on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a medicine or other remedy for counteracting the effects of poison, disease, etc.

  2. something that prevents or counteracts injurious or unwanted effects: Good jobs are the best antidote to teenage crime.

verb (used with object),an·ti·dot·ed, an·ti·dot·ing.
  1. to counteract with an antidote: Medication was given to antidote the poison the child had swallowed.

Origin of antidote

1
1400–50; late Middle English (<Middle French ) <Latin antidotum<Greek antídoton something given against (i.e., for counteracting), equivalent to anti-anti- + dotón neuter of dotós given, verbid of didónai to give; akin to datum

Other words from antidote

  • an·ti·dot·al, an·ti·dot·i·cal [an-ti-dot-i-kuhl], /ˌæn tɪˈdɒt ɪ kəl/, adjective
  • an·ti·dot·al·ly, an·ti·dot·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with antidote

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use antidote in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for antidote

antidote

/ (ˈæntɪˌdəʊt) /


noun
  1. med a drug or agent that counteracts or neutralizes the effects of a poison

  2. anything that counteracts or relieves a harmful or unwanted condition; remedy

Origin of antidote

1
C15: from Latin antidotum, from Greek antidoton something given as a countermeasure, from anti- + didonai to give

Derived forms of antidote

  • antidotal, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for antidote

antidote

[ ăntĭ-dōt′ ]


  1. A substance that counteracts the effects of a poison.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.