Reference  |  Webster's Dictionary  |  M  |  Meddle to Meditation

M — Meddle to Meditation (Part 5 of 6)

1. The science which relates to the prevention, cure, or alleviation of disease.

2. Any substance administered in the treatment of disease; a remedial agent; a remedy; physic.

By medicine, life may be prolonged.
Shak.

3. A philter or love potion. [Obs.] Shak.

4. [F. médecin.] A physician. [Obs.] Shak.

Medicine bag, a charm; — so called among the North American Indians, or in works relating to them.Medicine man a person who professes to cure sickness, drive away evil spirits, and regulate the weather by the arts of magic.Medicine seal, a small gem or paste engraved with reversed characters, to serve as a seal. Such seals were used by Roman physicians to stamp the names of their medicines.

Medicine
(Med"i*cine), v. t. To give medicine to; to affect as a medicine does; to remedy; to cure. "Medicine thee to that sweet sleep." Shak.

Medico-legal
(Med`i*co-le"gal) a. Of or pertaining to law as affected by medical facts.

Medicommissure
(Med`i*com"mis*sure) n. [L. medius middle + E. commissure.] (Anat.) A large transverse commissure in the third ventricle of the brain; the middle or soft commissure. B. G. Wildex.

Medicornu
(||Med`i*cor"nu) n.; pl. Medicornua [NL., fr. L. medius middle + cornu horn.] (Anat.) The middle or inferior horn of each lateral ventricle of the brain. B. G. Wilder.

Medics
(Med"ics) n. Science of medicine. [Obs.]

Mediety
(Me*di"e*ty) n. [L. medietas.] The middle part; half; moiety. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Medieval
(Me`di*e"val, Me`di*e"val*ism), Medievalist
(Me`di*e"val*ist). Same as Medival, Medivalism, etc.

Medina epoch
(Me*di"na ep"och) [From Medina in New York.] (Geol.) A subdivision of the Niagara period in the American upper Silurian, characterized by the formations known as the Oneida conglomerate, and the Medina sandstone. See the Chart of Geology.

Medino
(Me*di"no) n. Same as Para.

Mediocral
(Me"di*o`cral) a. Mediocre. [R.]

Mediocre
(Me"di*o`cre) a. [F. médiocre, L. mediocris, fr. medius middle. See Mid.] Of a middle quality; of but a moderate or low degree of excellence; indifferent; ordinary. " A very mediocre poet." Pope.

Mediocre
(Me"di*o`cre), n.

1. A mediocre person. [R.]

2. A young monk who was excused from performing a portion of a monk's duties. Shipley.

Mediocrist
(Me"di*o`crist) n. A mediocre person. [R.]

Mediocrity
(Me`di*oc"ri*ty) n. [F. médiocrité, L. mediocritas.]

1. The quality of being mediocre; a middle state or degree; a moderate degree or rate. "A mediocrity of success." Bacon.