medicine
noun
med·i·cine
ˈme-di-sən
British usually
ˈmed-sən
plural medicines
1
a
: a substance or preparation used in treating disease
cough medicine
b
: something that affects well-being
He's bad medicine.—Zane Grey
2
a
: the science and art dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease
She's interested in a career in medicine.
b
: the branch of medicine concerned with the nonsurgical treatment of disease
3
: a substance (such as a drug or potion) used to treat something other than disease
4
: an object (such as a stone, animal bone, or plant root) which in some Indigenous American traditions is held to give control over natural or magical forces
also
: magical power or a magical rite
medicine
transitive verb
Cite this Entry
“Medicine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medicine. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.
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