materia medica

views updated May 11 2018

materia medica the body of remedial substances used in the practice of medicine; the study of the origin and properties of these substances. Recorded from the late 17th century, the phrase is modern Latin, translating Greek hulē iatrikē ‘healing material’, the title of a work by the 1st century Greek physician and pharmacologist Dioscorides.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

materia medica

views updated May 29 2018

materia medica remedies used in medicine. XVII. modL., tr. Gr. húlē iatrikḗ healing material; see MATTER, MEDICAL.

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

materia medica

views updated May 18 2018

materia medica (mă-teer-iă med-ik-ă) n. the study of drugs used in medicine and dentistry, including pharmacognosy, pharmacy, pharmacology, and therapeutics.

A Dictionary of Nursing

More From encyclopedia.com

About this article

materia medica

All Sources -
Updated Aug 08 2016 About encyclopedia.com content Print Topic

You Might Also Like