alexipharmac

alexipharmac · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₂lek-“to protect”
2. Ancient Greek · derived fromἀλεξῐφᾰ́ρμᾰκον“antidote; (generally) remedy; charm, spell”
3. Latin · derived fromalexipharmacon“antidote”
4. Middle French · borrowed fromalexipharmaque
5. English todayalexipharmac

Borrowed from Middle French alexipharmaque (modern French alexipharmaque (archaic)), and from its etymon Latin alexipharmacon (“antidote”) (whence Late Latin alexipharmacum), from Ancient Greek ἀλεξῐφᾰ́ρμᾰκον (alexĭphắrmăkon, “antidote; (generally) remedy; charm, spell”), a noun use of the neuter of ἀλεξῐφᾰ́ρμᾰκος (alexĭphắrmăkos, “acting as an antidote”), from ἀλέξειν (aléxein) (the active infinitive of ἀλέξω (aléxō, “to defend, guard, protect; to help; to keep off, turn aside, ward off”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂lek- (“to protect”)) + φάρμᾰκον (phármăkon, “drug, whether healing or poisonous; charm, potion, spell; colour, dye”) + -ος (-os, suffix forming certain types of adjectives).

alexipharmac · adjective²

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromἀλεξιφάρμακος
2. Late Latin · derived fromalexipharmacus
3. French · borrowed fromalexipharmaque
4. English todayalexipharmac

Borrowed from French alexipharmaque (archaic), and from its etymon Late Latin alexipharmacus, from Ancient Greek ἀλεξιφάρμακος (alexiphármakos) (see etymology 1).

Words from the same roots