elixir
Americannoun
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Pharmacology. a sweetened, aromatic solution of alcohol and water containing, or used as a vehicle for, medicinal substances.
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Also called elixir of life. an alchemic preparation formerly believed to be capable of prolonging life.
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an alchemic preparation formerly believed to be capable of transmuting base metals into gold.
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the quintessence or absolute embodiment of anything.
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a panacea; cure-all; sovereign remedy.
noun
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an alchemical preparation supposed to be capable of prolonging life indefinitely ( elixir of life ) or of transmuting base metals into gold
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anything that purports to be a sovereign remedy; panacea
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an underlying principle; quintessence
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a liquid containing a medicinal drug with syrup, glycerine, or alcohol added to mask its unpleasant taste
Etymology
Origin of elixir
1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin < Arabic al iksīr alchemical preparation < Late Greek xḗrion drying powder (for wounds), equivalent to Greek xēr ( ós ) dry + -ion, neuter of -ios adj. suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Served over ice in a short glass and topped with fruit-salad flotsam, the elixir is lightly caffeinated, mildly fruity and as refreshing as stepping out of the Hanoi humidity into full-blast air conditioning.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
But it all started with “Buckingham Nicks,” the sweet, magical elixir that fueled one of rock’s most enduring fusions.
From Salon • Sep. 19, 2025
“I realized dipping a toe in is fine, but be careful of the elixir of it,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2025
As the two sides fought over the pot of elixir that promised them immortality, a few drops spilled over and fell in four cities - Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik.
From BBC • Jan. 12, 2025
One aunt prescribed to her sisters the elixir of large doses of castor oil during the last weeks of pregnancy.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
