medicate

[ med-i-keyt ]

verb (used with object)

, med·i·cat·ed, med·i·cat·ing.

1. to treat with medicine or medicaments.
2. to impregnate with a medicine:

   medicated cough drops; a medicated bandage.

medicate

/ ˈmɛdɪˌkeɪt /

verb

1. to cover or impregnate (a wound, etc) with an ointment, cream, etc
2. to treat (a patient) with a medicine
3. to add a medication to (a bandage, shampoo, etc)

Derived Forms

• ˈmedicative, adjective

Other Words From

• de·medi·cate verb (used with object) demedicated demedicating
• over·medi·cate verb (used with object) overmedicated overmedicating
• pre·medi·cate verb (used with object) premedicated premedicating
• un·medi·cated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of medicate¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin medicātus “healed,” past participle of medicāre, medicārī “to heal,” from medicus “physician”; medical

Word History and Origins

Origin of medicate¹

C17: from Latin medicāre to heal

Example Sentences

There are numerous reports of people being hospitalized because they self-medicated with ivermectin intended for livestock.

From Washington Post

I think that played a big part for him in self-medicating, trying to numb out the pain.

From Time

I was afraid I was going to be hospitalized, or medicated against my will, which had happened to my mother many times.

From Time

He had also been self-medicating with different strains of marijuana.

From Washington Post

Stamets’s eureka moment happened when he remembered something that he had seen decades earlier—bees appearing to medicate themselves using fungi.

From Nautilus

She freely admits that she was using both to self-medicate after she lost her insurance.

From The Daily Beast

Whenever soldiers come home, big pharma finds new ways to medicate them.

From The Daily Beast

A psychologist cannot write prescriptions and therefore could not try to medicate my problems away.

From The Daily Beast

Rider said many combat veterans self-medicate their post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries with alcohol.

From The Daily Beast

Parents don't medicate kids because they are lazy parents and think the pills will rein in unruly kids.

From The Daily Beast

And if you were physicians, you must not cram them, or medicate them to their hurt.

From Project Gutenberg

When it is desired to medicate by putting fluids into the bowel we adopt the colon infusion.

From Project Gutenberg

Mabruk Saleem I left in charge of a native doctor, who was to medicate him for a gift of cloth which I gave him in advance.

From Project Gutenberg

On the Continent a variety of substances are employed to medicate baths, which are seldom or never so used in this country.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• anesthetize
• desensitize
• sedate