An antidote is a substance that stops or controls the effects of a poison. More generally, it can mean anything that works to counteract a bad situation.
From Greek 'antidoton' meaning 'given against', from 'anti-' (against) + 'didonai' (to give). It came into English through Latin and French medical language.
We now use 'antidote' metaphorically—like 'laughter is the antidote to stress'—because the idea of a perfect counter-force is so appealing. Real medical antidotes are often very specific; one poison, one carefully matched rescue.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.