medicine

American  

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

noun

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

• antimedicine
  adjective
• supermedicine
  noun

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

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

He grooms them, administers their daily doses of medicine by hand and recognizes their individual personalities.

From Salon • May 17, 2026

They are all about $10 to $15 and involve pushing medicine into your baby’s mouth via a small hole in the paci, more or less completely removing the struggle.

From Slate • May 17, 2026

Miller is now a full-time practitioner of Chinese medicine, navigating Manhattan’s gridlock and Brooklyn’s brownstones carrying a doctor bag of needles and laser equipment.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

"You would expect if there is a good medicine which can help that you would encourage that where possible. In the way you would treat someone with cancer or raised blood pressure."

From BBC • May 16, 2026

The actual practice of medicine, on the other hand, either bored or disgusted him.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

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