panacea

views updated Jun 11 2018

pan·a·ce·a / ˌpanəˈsēə/ • n. a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases: the panacea for all corporate ills the time-honored panacea, cod liver oil.DERIVATIVES: pan·a·ce·an / -ˈsēən/ adj.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

panacea

views updated May 09 2018

panacea a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases. Recorded from the mid 16th century, the word comes via Latin from Greek panakeia, for panakēs ‘all-healing’. In Spenser's Faerie Queene, the name panacea is given to a plant reputed to heal all ills (all-heal or woundwort).

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

panacea

views updated Jun 27 2018

panacea universal remedy. XVI. — L. panacēa — Gr. panákeia, f. panakḗs all-healing, f. PAN- + base of ákos remedy.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

panacea

views updated Jun 08 2018

panacea (pan-ă-see-ă) n. a medicine said to be a cure for all diseases and disorders. Unfortunately panaceas do not exist, despite the claims of many patent medicine manufacturers.

A Dictionary of Nursing