Physick

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A healing substance or remedy, especially a strong purgative medicine or medicament administered to cure ailment
2. A therapeutic agent or medication, particularly a potent laxative or curative preparation used to heal ailments or cleanse the system
3. A medicinal preparation often used to cleanse the body by inducing evacuation ; to medically treat or cleanse the body mainly by using a purgative

Etymology: "Physick" is the older spelling of "physic," and for centuries the two words were used interchangeably. Its path runs from the Greek word for nature. Ancient Greek "phusikos" meant "natural" or "physical," built on "phusis," meaning nature or growth, a word rooted in the idea of things coming into being and growing. Medieval Latin borrowed it as "physicus," and the study of nature became "physica." The meaning narrowed over time. Old French turned "physica" into "fisike," meaning the art of healing, and Middle English took that sense, so a word for studying the natural world came to mean the business of curing the sick. "Physick" as a noun for a remedy, especially a purgative or cleansing preparation, followed from that medical sense. The word appears in the King James Bible of 1611, in Sirach 18:19: "Learn before thou speak, and use physick or ever thou be sick." Here it still carries the broader sense of medical care, applied to preventive treatment before illness strikes.

Synonyms: medicine, remedy, cure, treatment

Antonyms: poison, harm, injury