medicinal

adjective

me·dic·i·nal | \ mə-ˈdis-nəl, -ˈdi-sᵊn-əl

; in Shakespeare & Milton ˌme-di-ˈsī-nᵊl, & ˈmed-sə-nəl \

Definition of medicinal

1 : tending or used to cure disease or relieve pain a medicinal compound the plant's medicinal properties used for medicinal purposes

2 : salutary

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Examples of medicinal in a Sentence

This drug is to be used only for medicinal purposes. even in Roman times the hot mineral springs of Bath, England, were believed to possess medicinal properties

Recent Examples on the Web During the tour, Van der Veldt regaled me with stories of the Lewis & Clark expedition, Fort Astoria, the medicinal properties of the winery’s namesake Gaultheria shallon berry, Buddhism and more. — Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, "A harmonious union of wine and chocolate in Astoria," 13 Feb. 2021 Elsewhere, the tree is grown only as an ornamental tree or farmed for its purported medicinal properties. — Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, "An ode to the ginkgo, as its fleeting golden leaves arrive in the last show of summer," 27 Sep. 2020 Poachers lie in wait at river crossings to ambush these animals and saw off their velvet antlers, which are thought to have medicinal properties. — National Geographic, "How do dogs understand us?," 13 Aug. 2020 These included medicinal smoke, the forging of weapons and the creation of other useful products. — David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Arts & Culture Newsletter: Danielle LoPresti’s ‘love letter to the world’," 21 Jan. 2021 One of their frequent activities is going on nature walks to learn about medicinal plants. — Natalie Chinn, CNN, "The Navajo Nation faces a battle to protect its elders and traditions as Covid-19 deaths spike," 2 Jan. 2021 For centuries, certain cultures believed that chicken soup had medicinal qualities. — Isis Davis-marks, Smithsonian Magazine, "A Journey Around the World, as Told Through Chicken Soup," 1 Dec. 2020 In the 1930s, it was purchased by Norman Baker, a shyster who lured cancer patients to come here for treatments that had no medicinal value. — Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, "The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa is Known to Have Ghostly Guests," 25 Sep. 2020 Ginger has been used in Asian cultures for thousands of years for culinary and medicinal purposes due to its anti-inflammatory, circulation-boosting, and digestion-aiding effects year-round. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "Why a Hot Ginger Bath Is the Perfect Detox Ritual for Winter," 30 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'medicinal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.