medicine
B1 (Very High Frequency)Formal (medical/science contexts), Neutral (everyday use).
Definition
Meaning
A substance or treatment used to prevent, cure, or relieve the symptoms of disease or injury.
The science and practice of diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease. Can also refer to any substance perceived as beneficial or corrective.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Uncountable when referring to the science, profession, or substances in general ('study medicine', 'take your medicine'). Countable when referring to a specific type or substance ('a medicine for headaches', 'traditional medicines').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. 'Medicine' is standard in both. 'Pharmacy' is more common than 'chemist's' in US English. The phrase 'internal medicine' (hospital speciality) is identical.
Connotations
Identical core meaning. In US English, 'medication' is slightly more frequent in clinical/prescription contexts.
Frequency
Slightly higher relative frequency of 'drug' (in the neutral pharmaceutical sense) in American English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
take N for (a condition)prescribe N to/for someonestudy/practise NN for (headaches/colds)N to treat (an illness)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “a taste of one's own medicine”
- “medicine man”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
The pharmaceutical business; the medicine market.
Academic
The study of medicine; evidence-based medicine; advances in regenerative medicine.
Everyday
I need to pick up my medicine from the pharmacy. Have you taken your medicine?
Technical
The medicine was administered intravenously. The mechanism of action of the medicine is not fully understood.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- (Obsolete/rare) To treat with medicine.
American English
- (Obsolete/rare) To dose with medicine.
adverb
British English
- (None)
American English
- (None)
adjective
British English
- (None. Use 'medical', e.g., medical advice.)
American English
- (None. Use 'medical', e.g., medical school.)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The doctor gave me some medicine for my cough.
- Take this medicine three times a day.
- Modern medicine has found cures for many diseases.
- She decided to study medicine at university.
- The efficacy of the new medicine is being tested in clinical trials.
- He practises internal medicine at the city hospital.
- The bitter medicine of austerity was deemed necessary to stabilize the economy.
- Integrative medicine combines conventional and alternative approaches.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a MEDIC giving you INE (pronounced 'in') a shot – a MEDICINE injection.
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWLEDGE/ADVICE IS MEDICINE ('a bitter pill to swallow', 'the medicine of laughter').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'medicina' (the science/profession only). Russian 'лекарство' maps directly to 'medicine' as a substance.
- Avoid using 'drug' indiscriminately due to its strong association with illegal narcotics.
- Do not use 'medical' as a noun (e.g., 'go to the medical').
Common Mistakes
- *He studies a medicine. (Correct: He studies medicine.)
- *I need a medicine for headache. (Correct: I need some medicine for a headache / medicine for headaches.)
- Confusing 'medicine' (science) with 'medication' (specific substances).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'medicine' used correctly?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Medicine' has a purely beneficial connotation. 'Drug' is neutral in medical contexts ('prescription drugs') but can refer to illegal substances. 'Medicine' is also the name of the science/profession.
It can be both. Uncountable: the science ('study medicine'), substances in general ('take medicine'). Countable: a specific type or kind ('different medicines for pain').
It means to experience the same unpleasant treatment that one has given to others.
It is a medical speciality dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and non-surgical treatment of adult diseases.
Collections
Part of a collection
Body and Health
A1 · 49 words · Parts of the body and basic health vocabulary.
Health and Body
A2 · 48 words · Talking about health, illness and medical care.
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