mithridatum
English
Alternative forms
- metredatum, metridatum, methridatum
- mithredatum
- mythridatum
Etymology
From Late Latin mithridatum, variant of mithridatium, from Latin Mithridātīus (“of or related to Mithridates”), from Mithridātēs + -ius, from Ancient Greek Μιθριδάτης (Mithridátēs), the Greek form of the name of Mithridates VI of Pontus. Doublet of mithridate, mithridatium, and mithridaticon.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌmɪθrɪˈdeɪtəm/
Noun
mithridatum (uncountable)
- (historical medicine) Synonym of mithridate.
- 1526, Grete Herball, sig. Iiv:
- Medle them all with metridatum.
- 1931, E. Linklater, Ben Jonson & King James, p. 119:
- The plague had returned to London with uncommon virulence... Huge quantities of mithridatum and dragon-water were drunk for prophylactics.
- 1995, Isis, No. 86, p. 400:
- Theriac—like mithridatum—was an elaborate compound of vipers and botanicals.
- 1526, Grete Herball, sig. Iiv:
References
- “mithridatum, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2022.