Medication
/ˌmɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/noun
The use or administration of medicine to treat or prevent disease.
Did you know?In Latin, the ancestor of *medication* was tied to *mederi*, a verb meaning “to heal” or “to cure,” so the word’s history is less about pills and more about the old art of restoring balance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*med-
“to take appropriate measures; to measure, advise, or heal”
Latin
Latin
mederi
“to heal, cure, or treat medically”
Late Latin
Latin
medicatio
“a healing treatment or administration of medicine”
Old French
Old French
medication
“medical treatment or application of remedies”
Middle English
English
medicacioun
“medical treatment or the act of healing”
Modern English
English
medication
“a medicine or drug used to treat disease”