medicine

«medicine» in Mova's school dictionary: A pill, liquid or cream that a doctor or chemist gives to… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (medicine — uncountable; a medicine, medicines — a kind of drug)

meaning for a pupil

1) A pill, liquid or cream that a doctor or chemist gives to help you get better when ill. tree →

2) The science and work of doctors: studying medicine. tree →

3) Something that makes you feel better: «Laughter is the best medicine». tree →

sense in the lessons

In health and safety: only take medicine from a trusted adult, in the right dose; never take someone else's medicine; medicine is not candy even if it tastes sweet; keep it locked away from small children; read the label. If a child swallows medicine by mistake, tell an adult at once (poison helpline). In science: medicine fights illness; vaccines are a kind of medicine. Phrases: take medicine, cough medicine, a dose of medicine, medicine cabinet, study medicine.

examples

• Mum gave me some cough medicine. tree →
• Only take medicine from a grown-up you trust. tree →
• Never take medicine that belongs to someone else. tree →
• Keep medicines out of reach of little children. tree →
• The medicine tastes like strawberries, but it is not a sweet. tree →
• My aunt studied medicine and became a doctor. tree →
• Take the medicine twice a day after food. tree →
• Laughter is the best medicine. tree →

note

Usually uncountable (some medicine), countable for kinds (different medicines). Say «MED-sin» (UK) or «MED-i-sin» (US). Myth: more medicine does not work faster — too much is dangerous. In maths: «5 ml twice a day for 3 days» = 5 × 2 × 3 = 30 ml.

In the corpora

• Not every illness needs medicine: a cold gets better on its own.
• Medicine prescribed for one person is only for that person.
• A repeat prescription is for medicine someone takes regularly, so they do not need to see the doctor every time.
• Cone snails shoot a harpoon-like tooth full of venom into fish, and pain medicines have been made from cone snail venom.
• Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics if the medicines are overused, which is why doctors do not give them for colds.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «medicine» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.