Tag: THE JOY OF WORDS
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The word “paracetmol”
The word “paracetmol” is a shortened form of para-acetyl-amino-phenol, and was coined, manufactured and sold by Frederick Stearns & Co in 1956.
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The word “acetaminophen”
The word “acetaminophen” is a shortened form of N-acetyl aminophenol, and was coined and first marketed by McNeil Laboratories in 1955.
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Pharmacy (etymology)
pharmacy (n.) late 14c., farmacie, “a medicine that rids the body of an excess of humors (except blood);” also “treatment with medicine; theory of treatment with medicine,” from Old French farmacie “a purgative” (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin pharmacia, from Greek pharmakeia “a healing or harmful medicine, a healing or poisonous herb; a drug, poisonous potion; magic (potion), dye, raw material…
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Sugar-coat (etymology)
also sugarcoat, 1870, originally of medicine; figuratively, “make more palatable,” from 1910; from sugar (n.) + coat (v.). Related: Sugarcoated; sugarcoating. sugar (n.) late 13c., sugre, from Old French sucre “sugar” (12c.), from Medieval Latin succarum, from Arabic sukkar, from Persian shakar, from Sanskrit sharkara “ground or candied sugar,” originally “grit, gravel” (cognate with Greek kroke “pebble”). The Arabic word also was borrowed in Italian (zucchero), Spanish (azucar, with the Arabic article), and…
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Poison (etymology)
poison (n.) c. 1200, poisoun, “a deadly potion or substance,” also figuratively, “spiritually corrupting ideas; evil intentions,” from Old French poison, puison (12c., Modern French poison) “a drink,” especially a medical drink, later “a (magic) potion, poisonous drink” (14c.), from Latin potionem (nominative potio) “a drinking, a drink,” also “poisonous drink” (Cicero), from potare “to drink” (from PIE root *po(i)- “to drink”). A doublet of potion. For similar form…
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Virus (etymology)
virus (n.) late 14c., “poisonous substance” (a sense now archaic), from Latin virus “poison, sap of plants, slimy liquid, a potent juice,” from Proto-Italic *weis-o-(s-) “poison,” which is probably from a PIE root *ueis-, perhaps originally meaning “to melt away, to flow,” used of foul or malodorous fluids, but with specialization in some languages to “poisonous fluid” (source also of Sanskrit visam “venom, poison,” visah “poisonous;”…
