Medication is a substance used to treat, prevent, or relieve the symptoms of disease. It includes prescription drugs, over‑the‑counter medicines, and other medically used chemicals.
From Latin “medicatio” meaning 'a healing, a treatment', from “medicari” 'to heal or cure'. The root “medic-” relates to 'physician' and 'medicine'. English adopted it to refer both to the act of treating and, more commonly now, to the substances used.
Medication is just 'something for healing' in Latin disguise—same family as 'medic', 'medical', and 'medicine'. The word focuses on purpose, not form: a bitter pill, a sweet syrup, or an invisible gas can all count as medication if they’re used to treat disease.
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