love potion

American  

noun

1. a magical potion believed to arouse love or sexual passion toward a specified person, especially the person offering it.

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love potion British  

noun

1. any drink supposed to arouse sexual love in the one who drinks it

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Etymology

Origin of love potion

First recorded in 1640–50

Explanation

In mythology, a love-potion is a magical drink that makes the person who sips it fall in love. If you've got a crush on a classmate who doesn't know you're alive, you might be tempted to mix up a love-potion. Love-potions are featured in a variety of literature, fairy tales, and the mythology of many cultures. Influencing a person to return your love might seem from many stories to be as simple as mixing up an elixir. A love-potion gone wrong plays a part in Wagner's opera "Tristan und Isolde," as well as the popular song first recorded by The Clovers in 1959, "Love Potion No. 9." In Latin, potion means "drink" or "poisonous drink."

Example Sentences

Amber Wagner was a first-rate Brangäne, powerful but nuanced; she is a prime mover in the plot for secretly providing Tristan and Isolde with the fateful love potion.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 17, 2022

Now, a study has revealed the fungus creates a love potion by releasing chemicals that lure flies to increase their chances of infection.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 1, 2021

One of their best-selling products was a love potion they believed was created by the infamous Louisiana Voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2017

A person who takes a love potion in a fairy tale will fall in love with whomever she sees first, and this love will be binding.

From Time • Oct. 12, 2015

Nice to see my love potion being used well, I thought.

From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling