elixir
/ɪˈlɪksə(ɹ)/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.16 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
Example Sentences
- "For Chinese alchemists, gold held the key to the Elixir, the Eastern equivalent of the Philosopher's Stone."
- "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."
- "The subcommittee's report to the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry shows that the action of somnos is practically identical with that of a 5 per cent elixir of hydrated chloral."
Etymology
From Medieval Latin elixir (“philosopher's stone”), from Arabic اَلْإِكْسِير (al-ʔiksīr, “philosopher's stone”), from Ancient Greek ξηρίον (xēríon, “powder for drying wounds”), from ξηρός (xērós, “dry”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: elixir, إكسير, ξηρίον