medicine

American  

[med-uh-sin, med-suhn] / ˈmɛd ə sɪn, ˈmɛd sən /

noun

• medicines
  plural

1. any substance or substances used in treating disease or illness; medicament; remedy.

   Synonyms:

   physic, pharmaceutical, drug, medication

2. the art or science of restoring or preserving health or due physical condition, as by means of drugs, surgical operations or appliances, or manipulations: often divided into medicine proper, surgery, and obstetrics.

3. the art or science of treating disease with drugs or curative substances, as distinguished from surgery and obstetrics.

4. the medical profession.

5. (among North American Indians) any object or practice regarded as having magical powers.

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verb (used with object)

medicined, medicining

1. to administer medicine to.

idioms

1. give someone a dose / taste of his / her own medicine, to repay or punish a person for an injury by use of the offender's own methods.

2. take one's medicine, to undergo or accept punishment, especially deserved punishment.

   He took his medicine like a man.

medicine British  

/ ˈmɛdsɪn, ˈmɛdɪsɪn /

noun

1. any drug or remedy for use in treating, preventing, or alleviating the symptoms of disease

2. the science of preventing, diagnosing, alleviating, or curing disease

3. any nonsurgical branch of medical science

4. the practice or profession of medicine

   he's in medicine

5. something regarded by primitive people as having magical or remedial properties

6. to accept a deserved punishment

7. an unpleasant experience in retaliation for and by similar methods to an unkind or aggressive act

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medicine Scientific  

/ mĕd′ĭ-sĭn /

1. The scientific study or practice of diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases or disorders of the body or mind of a person or animal.

2. An agent, such as a drug, used to treat disease or injury.

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medicine More Idioms  

1. see dose of one's own medicine; take one's medicine.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• supermedicine
  noun
• antimedicine
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• medicines
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of medicine

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English medicin, from Latin medicīna (ars) “healing (art),” feminine of medicīnus “pertaining to a physician,” from medic(us) “physician” ( cf. medical) + -īnus -ine ¹

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Explanation

Medicine is the field (and body of knowledge) that teaches doctors how to help people. Doctors also give medicine to patients. Cough syrup, antibiotics, and pills are all forms of medicine. When someone gives you medicine, they are medicating you. People who study medicine become doctors and nurses. Without the field of medicine — which expands all the time — there would be so much more sickness and death. Medicine is devoted to finding out everything about health, illness, and the human body.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

medicine medicines medicined medicining

But many doctors already know what medicine is like without human translators.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

She received qualifications in Sudan, but although she wants to be a doctor she has been unable to get a university place to study medicine.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

That depends not only on what medicine can do after disease arrives but also on how early we see it coming, and what we do to keep ourselves safe once we know.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

Understanding exactly how cells acquire their identities could eventually have important implications for medicine.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

As they started across the clearing, Torak remembered the medicine horn left behind in the shelter, and ran back for it.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

The partnership marks the latest to pair pharmaceutical and AI companies, as drugmakers turn to the technology in a bid to speed up the discovery and development of new medicines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

"Individual health boards are responsible for decisions on the implementation and availability of medicines, including obesity medicines," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

For 20 minutes, we pressed on his chest and pushed medicines, but despite our best efforts, we could not revive him.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

For more frequent breakouts, they might prescribe higher-strength regimens such as antibiotics or medicines with tretinoin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Without the medicines available today to treat infection, her condition rapidly declined.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

For two long weeks had he to be abed, he, who, as he himself told, had never to this day needed any healing but such as the leech who medicined his beasts could give him.

From Margery — Complete by Georg Ebers

For two long weeks had he to he abed, he, who, as he himself told, had never to this day needed any healing but such as the leech who medicined his beasts could give him.

From Margery — Volume 08 by Clara Bell

But the slave-girl medicined herself and became well; and she kept what remained of the poison and sold it to those who asked for it.

From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 14 by Sir Richard Francis Burton

So far, this is exactly what we should expect, on the view that structure and instinct are alike mainly due to memory, or to medicined memory. 

From Life and Habit by R. A. (Richard Alexander) Streatfeild

The hope-inspiring ministry of Ronald's mother, first and engrossing study, and ceaseless occupation next, had effectually medicined his growing melancholy.

From Fairy Fingers A Novel by Anna Cora Ogden Mowatt Ritchie

As the night struggles slowly into day so sickness climbs stealthily into health, and nature has a system of medicining her ailments which might only be thwarted by the ministrations of a mere doctor.

From Mary, Mary by Padraic Colum

A great great sin plots in the house this day; Too strong for the faithful, beyond medicining … And help stands far away.

From The Agamemnon of Aeschylus Translated into English Rhyming Verse with Explanatory Notes by Gilbert Murray

Go thou thy way, sorrowful and suffering soul, alone; and if thy own heart bleeds, strive thou to soothe its pangs, by medicining the wounds and healing the hurts of another.

From What Answer? by Anna E. Dickinson

And she Shall know no more its tender, sweet caress, Soft medicining woe.

From Lilith The Legend of the First Woman by Ada Langworthy Collier

Certainly, now you see that all your Doctoring and medicining hath been to some purpose, and now you feel also that all herbs were made for some good effects.

From The Ten Pleasures of Marriage and the Second Part, The Confession of the New Married Couple by A. Marsh

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Related Words

• antibiotic
• cure
• drug
• medication
• pharmaceutical
• pill
• prescription
• remedy

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