panacea
panaceas
If someone offers you a pill that promises eternal life, don’t take the pill. It’s a panacea, a remedy that falsely claims to solve every problem ever.
The Greek word pan means “all” (think of a panorama, a view where you can see everywhere). The Greek word for “cure” is akēs (which looks like the word “aches”). Those are the roots of panacea, a cure for all aches. But a panacea doesn’t really cure everything; it just acts like it can. Use the word to describe an unbelievable solution, like a new law that will make everyone rich, or a robot that does your homework for you.
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hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; once sought by the alchemists
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synonyms:
catholicon, cure-all, nostrum
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types:
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elixir
a substance believed to cure all ills
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elixir of life
a hypothetical substance believed to maintain life indefinitely; once sought by alchemists
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type of:
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curative, cure, remedy, therapeutic
a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain
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elixir
Vocabulary lists containing panacea
Mr. Lemoncello invites teams from across the U.S. to compete in a first-ever Library Olympics, where they must solve puzzles and decipher clues to become champions of literature and his library.
In this collection, W.H.D. Rouse retells ancient myths and legends from classical Greece.
After being falsely imprisoned, Edmond Dantès escapes, disguises himself as the Count of Monte Cristo, and seeks revenge. Learn these words from the 1888 translation by George Routledge and Sons. Read the full text here.
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