Question 1 · Quick check
elixir
CEFRC1
/ɪˈlɪksə(ɹ)/
noun
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
noun
A magical or medicinal liquid believed to have special powers.
- 02
noun
Extra detailA substance or liquid which is believed to cure all ills and give eternal life.
Examples
Have an elixir. This should be enough for a few days.
Have I accidentally created a magical elixir?
At a glance
Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 5
- Parts of speech
- 1
- Citations
- 3
Deep Dive
noun
Extra meaningsThe alleged cure for all ailments; cure-all, panacea.
A liquid which converts lead to gold.
A sweet flavored liquid (usually containing a small amount of alcohol) used in compounding medicines to be taken by mouth in order to mask an unpleasant taste.
More examples
In contextThe pharmaceutical company is looking for the Elixir of Life to stop the ageing process.
For Chinese alchemists, gold held the key to the Elixir, the Eastern equivalent of the Philosopher's Stone.
The silver-bullet cancer cures of yesterday’s newsmagazine covers, like interferon and angiogenesis inhibitors, disappointed the breathless expectations, as have elixirs such as antioxidants, Vioxx, and hormone replacement therapy.
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
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Nearby
Origin
noun
From Medieval Latin elixir (“philosopher's stone”), from Arabic اَلْإِكْسِير (al-ʔiksīr, “philosopher's stone”), from Ancient Greek ξηρίον (xēríon, “powder for drying wounds”), from ξηρός (xērós, “dry”).