antidote
AN-tee-doht
/ˈæn.ti.dəʊt/
A medicine or other remedy given to counteract the effects of a poison, toxin, or disease.
Specific to counteracting toxic agents or chemicals; metaphorically refers to anything that counteracts a negative force.
The story behind the word. From Greek 'antidoton', formed by 'anti-' (against) and 'didonai' (to give). Ancient Greek physicians literally prescribed remedies as something 'given against' poison.
Word relationships
- countermeasure: Countermeasure is broad tactical action against threats, while antidote is specifically a chemical or biological cure against poison.
- remedy: Remedy is any general cure or relief, whereas antidote specifically counteracts a toxic substance.
- toxin: A toxin causes chemical damage; an antidote reverses that damage.
- poison: A poison harms or kills; an antidote counteracts the poison.
Commonly confused with
- antibiotic: An antibiotic targets living bacteria; an antidote neutralizes poisons or toxins directly.
Word family
- antidotal (adjective): Acting as or pertaining to an antidote.
Collocations
- effective antidote
- administer an antidote
- universal antidote
- specific antidote
Example sentences
- "Every soldier in the battalion carried an autoinjector loaded with atropine as an immediate antidote to nerve agent poisoning." Field Medical Treatment
- "Transparency and clear communication proved to be the best antidote to post-attack disinformation campaigns." Metaphorical Analysis
Memory hook
ANTI (against) + DOTE (dose given)—a dose given against poison. Given against poison.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'antibiotic' (which kills bacteria) or 'vaccine' (which prevents infection before exposure).
Fun facts
- King Mithridates VI of Pontus famously ingested tiny non-lethal doses of various poisons daily to build immunity, inspiring the term 'mithridatism' for poison resistance.
Related words
Explore more words
remedy, Countermeasure, inoculate, toxin, therapeutic, remediation
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