Medication

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /mɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/

Definitions

1. A substance used to treat, prevent, or relieve symptoms of disease or medical conditions
2. A substance administered to manage, alleviate, or prevent health issues or ailments in individuals
3. An agent utilized to address, mitigate, or avert various health-related complaints and conditions

Etymology: Medication is a plain formation: the verb "medicate" with the suffix "-ion" added, so the word names the act of treating or the substance used to treat. The verb itself comes from Latin "medicare," meaning "to heal" or "to cure," which is built on "medicus," the word for a physician or surgeon. That Latin root also sits behind "medicine," "medical," and "medic," all drawn from the same stem of healing. The line from Latin to English ran through French. Latin "medicatio" became Middle French "medication," and English borrowed it in Middle English as "medicacioun," so the word arrived in English as a learned term for the treatment of illness rather than a native one. Over the centuries the sense narrowed from the general idea of applying remedies to the specific idea of a dose of a drug, which is how most people use it today.

Synonyms: medicine, treatment, remedy, pharmaceutical, drug

Antonyms: poison, toxin, harm, disease, illness