philter

American  

[fil-ter] / ˈfɪl tər /

especially British, philtre

noun

1. a potion, charm, or drug supposed to cause the person taking it to fall in love, usually with some specific person.

2. a magic potion for any purpose.

---

verb (used with object)

philtered, philtering

1. to enchant or bewitch with a philter.

Other Word Forms

• philterer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of philter

First recorded in 1580–90; from French philtre, from Latin philtrum; see philtrum

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

philter philtered

Red Hugh fell afoul of a British agent who accomplished with a philter what could not be done by force.

From Time Magazine Archive

Every bane has its corresponding antidote; if so, there may be physic even for a philter.

From The Comic Latin Grammar A new and facetious introduction to the Latin tongue by John Leech

Would it be better, for example, if a love philter was introduced for consistency's sake?

From Shakespeare Study Programs; The Comedies by Charlotte Endymion Porter

The night was dark, the sentinels of the castle benumbed with a philter, the ladder already clung close to the window, and the champing steeds were pawing the ground not very far away.

From The Marquis of Pe?alta (Marta y Mar?a) A Realistic Social Novel by Armando Palacio Vald?s

Desperate certainly she was when she dared even to think of giving a love philter to a minister.

From Old-Time Gardens Newly Set Forth by Alice Morse Earle

So shocked was Byron that he complained that the book was filled with "the philtered ideas of a jaded voluptuary."

From Time Magazine Archive

These descriptions ought to have been written by Tiberius at Caprea—they are forced—the philtered ideas of a jaded voluptuary.

From The Works of Lord Byron: Letters and Journals. Vol. 2 by Rowland Edmund Prothero, Baron Ernle

Related Words

• draught
• elixir