potion

[ poh-shuhn ]

noun

1. a drink or draft, especially one having or reputed to have medicinal, poisonous, or magical powers:

   a love potion; a sleeping potion.

   Synonyms: philter, concoction, brew, elixir

potion

/ ˈpəʊʃən /

noun

1. a drink, esp of medicine, poison, or some supposedly magic beverage
2. a rare word for beverage

Word History and Origins

Origin of potion¹

1300–50; Middle English pocion < Latin pōtiōn- (stem of pōtiō ) a drinking, equivalent to pōt ( us ), variant of pōtātus, past participle of pōtāre to drink + -iōn- -ion; replacing Middle English pocioun < Anglo-French < Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of potion¹

C13: via Old French from Latin pōtiō a drink, especially a poisonous one, from pōtāre to drink

Example Sentences

“I don’t think there’s a magic potion or something. We’re all trying to do the same thing — win a World Series — and each game is one stepping stone toward that.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Death Becomes Her,” a musical comedy based on the zany 1992 film about two warring women who turn to a magical potion in their quests for eternal youth, will transfer to Broadway this fall.

From New York Times

“We are fugitives. Or you could give us an invisibility potion like Chloe took after that embarrassing incident with the ghoul at the school dance. Did that really happen, Ms. DuForte?”

From Literature

Women would terminate pregnancies in several different ways, such as ingesting herbs or medicinal potions that were thought to induce a miscarriage, Dr. Schoen said.

From New York Times

If it is to survive it needs a magic potion that doesn’t even have to approximate its glory days of a few decades ago.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• draught
• elixir