elixir
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Medieval Latin elixir, from Arabic اَلْإِكْسِير (al-ʾiksīr), from Ancient Greek ξήριον (xḗrion, “medicinal powder”), from ξηρός (xērós, “dry”).
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
elixir (plural elixirs)
- (alchemy) A liquid which converts lead to gold.
- 2002, Philip Ball, The Elements: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2004, p. 59:
- For Chinese alchemists, gold held the key to the Elixir, the Eastern equivalent of the Philosopher's Stone.
- 2002, Philip Ball, The Elements: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2004, p. 59:
- (alchemy) A substance or liquid which is believed to cure all ills and give eternal life.
- (by extension) The alleged cure for all ailments; cure-all, panacea.
- 2015, The Boston Globe, Steven Pinker, The moral imperative for bioethics:
- The silver-bullet cancer cures of yesterday’s newsmagazine covers, like interferon and angiogenesis inhibitors, disappointed the breathless expectations, as have elixirs such as antioxidants, Vioxx, and hormone replacement therapy.
- 2015, The Boston Globe, Steven Pinker, The moral imperative for bioethics:
- (pharmacy) A sweet flavored liquid (usually containing a small amount of alcohol) used in compounding medicines to be taken by mouth in order to mask an unpleasant taste.
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
alchemy: liquid which was believed to turn non-precious metals to gold
liquid which is believed to cure all ills
pharmacy: sweet taste-masking liquid
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked
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AsturianEdit
PortugueseEdit
NounEdit
elixir m (plural elixires)
- (alchemy) elixir (liquid which was believed to turn non-precious metals to gold)
- (fiction) a magical potion