antidote

an·ti·dote

noun \ˈan-ti-ˌdōt\

Definition of ANTIDOTE

1

: a remedy to counteract the effects of poison

2

: something that relieves, prevents, or counteracts <an antidote to boredom>

— antidote transitive verb

Examples of ANTIDOTE

1. There is no antidote to this poison.
2. For him, racing motorcycles is a great antidote to boredom.

Origin of ANTIDOTE

Middle English antidot, from Latin antidotum, from Greek antidotos, from feminine of antidotos given as an antidote, from antididonai to give as an antidote, from anti- + didonai to give — more at date

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to ANTIDOTE

Synonyms

cure, corrective, curative, rectifier, remedy, therapeutic, therapy

Related Words

cure-all, elixir, panacea; answer, solution; aid, help, relief, succor; balm, medicinal, medicine, palliative

Other Pharmacology Terms

anodyne, cathartic, emetic, emollient, liniment, paregoric, poultice, purgative, soporific, spectrum

Rhymes with ANTIDOTE

anecdote, assault boat, asymptote, billy goat, Capriote, cashmere goat, casting vote, Corfiote, creosote, dead man's float, entrecôte, ferryboat, flying boat, get one's goat, Huhehot, locomote, matelote, miss the boat, morning coat, motorboat, mountain goat, nanny goat, overcoat, paddleboat, papillote, passing note, pedal-note, petticoat, picketboat, polo coat, powerboat, quarter note, redingote, riverboat, rock the boat, rubythroat, Shabuoth, Sialkot, sixteenth note, sticky note, sugarcoat, symbiote, table d'hôte, undercoat, yellowthroat

an·ti·dote

noun \ˈant-i-ˌdōt\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of ANTIDOTE

: a remedy that counteracts the effects of poison

antidote

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Remedy to counteract the effects of a poison or toxin. Administered by mouth, intravenously, or sometimes on the skin, it may work by directly neutralizing the poison; causing an opposite effect in the body; binding to the poison to prevent its absorption, inactivate it, or keep it from fitting a receptor at its site of action; or binding to a receptor to prevent the poison's binding there, blocking its action. Some poisons are not active until converted to a different form in the body; their antidotes interrupt that conversion.