ENGLISH
REFERENCE

medication

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˌmɛdəˈkeɪʃən// UK //mˌɛdɪkˈeɪʃən// med·i·ca·tion General-service

n. a drug or medicine used to treat an illness or pain. You usually get this from a doctor or a pharmacy to help you feel better.

n. a substance used for medical treatment, especially a drug prescribed by a physician. Often used as a collective term for the set of drugs a patient is currently taking.


SIMPLE

She takes her medication every morning with breakfast.

CONTEXTUAL

The doctor adjusted his medication to reduce the side effects he was experiencing.

COMPLEX

Patients are advised to consult with a pharmacist before combining herbal supplements with their prescribed medication to avoid potentially dangerous interactions.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English medicacioun, from Middle French médication and its etymon Latin medicātiō, from medicārī (“to heal, cure”), from medicus (“a physician, surgeon”), from medērī (“to heal”). Equivalent to medicate + -ion.

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the general concept of treatment; countable when referring to specific types or instances of drugs.

Pitfall

the doctor gave me a medicationthe doctor gave me some medicationIn general medical contexts, the word is usually treated as uncountable; use 'some' or 'a type of' instead of 'a'.

Idioms1 entry

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