elixir

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a mythical or magical liquid believed to cure disease, preserve youth, or prolong life

   The alchemist claimed that one drop of the elixir could restore youth.

2. 2
   noun

   an alchemical preparation supposedly able to transform base metals into gold

   Years of experiments failed to produce the legendary elixir that would turn lead into gold.

3. 3
   noun

   something regarded as a remedy, source of vitality, or solution to a problem

   The minister presented tax cuts as an elixir for the slowing economy.

4. 4
   noun

   a sweetened liquid, often containing alcohol, used to carry or flavor medicine

   The pharmacist suspended the bitter compound in a mint-flavored elixir.

Simplified etymology

Elixir entered English through Arabic al-iksir from Greek xerion “powder for drying wounds,” ultimately related to Greek xeros “dry.” In medieval alchemy it denoted a sought-after preparation believed capable of turning ordinary metals into gold or indefinitely prolonging life.

From Medieval Latin elixir, through Arabic al-iksir, 'the alchemical preparation,' from Greek xerion, a dry medicinal powder, based on xeros, 'dry.' In medieval alchemy it named a substance thought to transform metals; from that promise came the elixir of life and the later figurative sense of a universal remedy.

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External links

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