physic
[ fiz-ik ]
/ ˈfɪz ɪk /
noun
a medicine that purges; cathartic; laxative.
any medicine; a drug or medicament.
Archaic. the medical art or profession.
Obsolete. natural science.
verb (used with object), phys·icked, phys·ick·ing.
to treat with or act upon as a physic or medicine.
to work upon as a medicine does; relieve or cure.
RELATED WORDS
medication, help, corrective, alleviation, antidote, redress, nostrum, recovery, assistance, panacea, treatment, medicine, reparation, remedy, healing, elixir, medicament, drug, aid, fix
Nearby words
Origin of physic
1250–1300; (noun) Middle English fisyk(e), phisik(e) (< Old French fisique) < Latin physica natural science (Medieval Latin: medical science) < Greek physikḗ science of nature, noun use of feminine adj.: pertaining to nature (akin to phŷlon tribe, phylon); (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun
Can be confusedphysic physique
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for physic
British Dictionary definitions for physic
physic
/ (ˈfɪzɪk) /
noun
rare a medicine or drug, esp a cathartic or purge
archaic the art or skill of healing
an archaic term for physics (def. 1)
verb -ics, -icking or -icked
(tr) archaic to treat (a patient) with medicine
Derived Formsphysicky, adjective
Word Origin for physic
C13: from Old French fisique, via Latin, from Greek phusikē, from phusis nature
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medicine definitions for physic
physic
[ fĭz′ĭk ]
n.
A medicine or drug, especially a cathartic.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.