potion
Americannoun
noun
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a drink, esp of medicine, poison, or some supposedly magic beverage
-
a rare word for beverage
Etymology
Origin of potion
1300–50; Middle English pocion < Latin pōtiōn- (stem of pōtiō ) a drinking, equivalent to pōt ( us ), variant of pōtātus, past participle of pōtāre to drink + -iōn- -ion; replacing Middle English pocioun < Anglo-French < Latin, as above
Explanation
If you meet up with any witches on Halloween, don’t drink the potion they offer you. This liquid could be poisonous, magical, or it could simply taste very strange. While a potion can be any drinkable liquid, it usually refers to medicinal concoctions or mysterious brews, as found in fairy tales and fables. This noun is related to the Latin verb, potare, which means, “to drink.” You might also notice its similarity to the adjective potable, another word for “drinkable.” Some common types you may read about or hear about are “sleeping potions,” “love potions,” and “magic potions.”
Vocabulary lists containing potion
Because of Winn-Dixie
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"Siberian Survivors" and "Tigers in the Wild"
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"Rachel the Clever"
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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.
"I don't have a magic potion that I can give to member states" -- especially, she said, the five permanent, veto-wielding members of the Security Council -- so that "everybody's friends."
From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026
Besson innovates with a subplot about Dracul’s foray into the world of perfume as he develops an intoxicating fragrance in Florence using French lavender, testing the potion on the pre-Revolution socialites in towering white-powdered wigs.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026
The video for Opalite premiered on Friday, and stars Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson as a "lonely man" who summons Swift into his life by spraying a magic potion on his beloved cactus.
From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026
No magic wand or special potion is needed -- only light.
From Science Daily • Oct. 24, 2025
Harry was sure that Slughorn had not forgotten the potion at all, but had waited to be asked for dramatic effect.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions 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.
