medicine
Definitions
A substance taken to treat or prevent illness; a drug.
药；药物。
The science and practice of diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease.
医学；医术；（学科）内科。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedmedic- (healing) + -ine = 'the healing thing / the healing art.' Two senses grew from one root: the physical substance you take (take your medicine) and the whole field of healing (study medicine). Both are the medērī 'heal' branch, unrelated to medius 'middle.'
Root medi still carries 48 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.take medicine吃药
- 2.alternative medicine替代医学
- 3.study medicine学医
- 4.preventive medicine预防医学
- 5.herbal medicine草药
Example Sentences
- 1.
Take this medicine twice a day after meals.
- 2.
She studied medicine for six years to become a doctor.
- 3.
Laughter is sometimes the best medicine.
Easily Confused
medicine vs medication vs drug — medicine is the everyday word for what you take to feel better, and also the field of healing. medication is more clinical/formal, usually a prescribed treatment ('he's on medication'). drug means the same as medication but also covers illegal/recreational substances. medicine vs remedy — a remedy is any cure or fix (often home/natural: a remedy for hiccups), not necessarily a manufactured medicine.