medicinal
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or having the properties of a medicine; curative; remedial.
medicinal properties; medicinal substances.
-
unpalatable; disagreeable.
a medicinal taste.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of medicinal
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English word from Latin word medicīnālis. See medicine, -al 1
Explanation
A substance that can cure or heal you is medicinal. Some people swear that chicken soup has medicinal qualities when you have a cold. Herbalists grow medicinal plants, such as mint and witch hazel, that have healing properties for various ailments. Your mother may believe in the medicinal properties of a hot cup of tea, while other people swear by the medicinal quality of the salty sea air. The adjective medicinal comes from medicine and has a Latin root, medicina, "the healing art, a remedy, or medicine."
Vocabulary lists containing medicinal
"Rappaccini's Daughter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Unit 1, Week 3
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med (heal; care for)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
From this, the researchers concluded that the elephants use 35 different plant species, and that 25 of those are known locally to have medicinal uses.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
For several weeks each year, ethnic Tibetans in this village pluck matsutake mushrooms, a flavorful fungus that is believed to boast medicinal properties—and can make fortunes in this less-developed corner of China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
During a panel titled “The World’s Most Influential Food,” chef Brandon Jew talked about incorporating traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients into his cooking.
From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026
By identifying the first biochemical steps required to make atisinium, the team has gained an important starting point for studying the broader diterpenoid alkaloid family and its potentially useful medicinal properties.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
He couldn’t hear the whispering of their leaves or smell the medicinal scent of their bark.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
