physic

English

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle English phisik, from Latin physicus, from Ancient Greek φῠσῐκός (phŭsĭkós, “natural; physical”), from φύσις (phúsis, “origin, birth; nature, quality; form, shape; type, kind”), from φῠ́ω (phŭ́ō, “grow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to appear, become, rise up”).

Adjective

physic (comparative more physic, superlative most physic)

  1. Relating to or concerning existent materials; physical.

Etymology 2

From Middle English fysike (noun) and phisiken, fisike (verb; from the noun), from Old French fisike (“natural science, art of healing”), from Latin physica (“study of nature”), from Ancient Greek φυσική (phusikḗ), feminine singular of φῠσῐκός (phŭsĭkós, “natural; physical”), see above.

Noun

physic (countable and uncountable, plural physics)

  1. (archaic, countable) A medicine or drug, especially a cathartic or purgative.
  3. (archaic, uncountable) The art or profession of healing disease; medicine.
    • 1743, Stephen Hales, A Description of Ventilators, page xiii:
      ...and thus draw out all the unwholesome Air and Stench, which does more harm than any Physick can repair.
  4. (archaic, uncountable) Natural philosophy; physics.
    • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author Gives Some Account of Himself and Family, His First Inducements to Travel. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput), page 2:
      When I left Mr. Bates, I went down to my Father; where, by the Aſſiſtance of him and my Uncle John, and ſome other Relations, I got forty Pounds, and a Promiſe of thirty Pounds a year to maintain me at Leyden: there I ſtudied Phyſick two years and ſeven months, knowing it would be uſeful in long Voyages.
  5. (obsolete) A physician.
Derived terms

Verb

physic (third-person singular simple present physics, present participle physicking, simple past and past participle physicked)

  1. (transitive) To cure or heal.
    • 1637, Tho[mas] Heywood, “Ivpiter and Io”, in Pleasant Dialogues and Dramma’s, Selected out of Lucian, Erasmus, Textor, Ovid, &c. […], London: […] R. O[ulton] for R. H[earne], and are to be sold by Thomas Slater […], →OCLC, page 170:
      Wouldſt thou not haue ſome Bulchin from the herd / To phyſicke thee of this venereall itch?
  2. (transitive) To administer medicine to, especially a purgative.
    • c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], lines 73-74:
      I will physic your rankness […]
    • 1987, Stephen King, The Tommyknockers:
      When she had been a little girl - a very little girl - her mother had once cried at Anne in utter exasperation, "You're so contrary cheese'd physic ya!"

Anagrams

Interlingua

Adjective

physic (comparative plus physic, superlative le plus physic)

  1. physical

Derived terms

References

  • Alexander Gode, Hugh E. Blair (1971) Interlingua: A Grammar of the International Language, 2nd edition, →ISBN
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