▪ I. medicament, n.
(mɪˈdɪkəmənt, ˈmɛdɪkəmənt)
[a. F. médicament, ad. L. medicāmentum, f. medicārī: see medicate v. and -ment. Cf. Sp., Pg., It. medicamento.]
A substance used in curative treatment.
| 1541 R. Copland Galyen's Terap. 2 C iv, It semeth that he had neuer experyence..of any medicamentes, whiche is a manyfest thynge of the boke that he hath made of medycamentes. 1597 A. M. tr. Guillemeau's Fr. Chirurg. 16/2 Some resolvinge and strengtheninge medicamentes. 1650 Bulwer Anthropomet. 160 He speaks of Cosmetique medicaments, or the Art of Decoration. 1750 tr. Leonardus' Mirr. Stones 96 In these they strew soporiferous medicaments. 1831 J. Davies Manual Mat. Med. 61 Some medicaments which are commonly used as astringents. 1899 Allbutt's Syst. Med. VIII. 922 Certain drug eruptions..have their greatest intensity round the part to which the medicament is applied. |
b. transf. and fig.
| 1614 W. Barclay Nepenthes A 4, [Tobacco] is the only medicament in the world ordained by nature to entertaine good companie. 1654 Hammond Fundamentals xix. §32. 235 First, the admonitions..of his fellow Christians, then more publike reprehensions..and upon the unsuccessfulness of all these milder medicaments, the use of that stronger Physick, the Censures of the Church. 1824 A. Henderson Wines 45 It was only for the inferior wines, however, that such medicaments were used. 1872 M. Collins Two Plunges for Pearl III. viii. 183 There are few medicaments equal to walking at your fastest pace. |
▪ II. meˈdicament, v.
[f. the n. Cf. F. médicamenter.]
trans. To administer medicaments to. Hence meˈdicamenting vbl. n.
| 1823 Galt R. Gilhaize xxxvii, But for many a day all the skill and medicamenting of Doctor Callender did him little good. 1849 Thackeray Pendennis liii, He..had been treated and medicamented as the doctor ordained. |