remedy

[rem-i-dee]

noun

plural

remedies 

1. something that cures or relieves a disease or bodily disorder; a healing medicine, application, or treatment.

   Synonyms: medication, medicament, specific, restorative, cure

2. something that corrects or removes an evil of any kind.

   Synonyms: antidote, corrective

3. Law.,  legal redress; the legal means of enforcing a right or redressing a wrong.

4. Coining.,  a certain allowance at the mint for deviation from the standard weight and fineness of coins; tolerance.

verb (used with object)

remedied, remedying 

1. to cure, relieve, or heal.

   Antonyms: worsen

2. to restore to the natural or proper condition; put right.

   to remedy a matter.

   Synonyms: renew, redress, correct, repair

3. to counteract or remove.

   to remedy an evil.

remedy

/ rɪˈmiːdɪəbəl, ˈrɛmɪdɪ /

noun

1. any drug or agent that cures a disease or controls its symptoms

2. anything that serves to put a fault to rights, cure defects, improve conditions, etc

   a remedy for industrial disputes

3. the legally permitted variation from the standard weight or quality of coins; tolerance

verb

1. to relieve or cure (a disease, illness, etc) by or as if by a remedy

2. to put to rights (a fault, error, etc); correct

Other Word Forms

• nonremedy noun
• unremedied adjective
• remediably adverb
• remediable adjective
• remediless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of remedy¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; (for the noun) Middle English remedie, from Anglo-French, from Latin remedium, from re- re- + med(ērī) “to heal” ( medical ) + -ium -ium; (for the verb) late Middle English remedien, from Middle French remedier, from Latin remediāre, derivative of remedium

Word History and Origins

Origin of remedy¹

C13: from Anglo-Norman remedie , from Latin remedium a cure, from remedērī to heal again, from _re- + medērī to heal; see _medical

Synonym Study

See cure.

Example Sentences

"This situation must be remedied – not by going 'further and faster' - but by recognising and fixing the clear and destructive weaknesses in your government's approach," she wrote.

Read more on BBC

Senators recognize the injustice of denying a constitutional remedy to themselves.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Yet he leaves out financial reform as one of the necessary remedies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He argues that endless enumeration cannot remedy a system built on hierarchy.

Read more on BBC

Finally, while regime change might sound like a good remedy to the problem that is Venezuela, it might just compound the difficulties over time.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• antidote 
• countermeasure 
• cure-all 
• drug 
• fix 
• medicine 
• panacea 
• pill 
• quick fix 
• redress 
• relief 
• therapy 
• treatment