elixir

See also elixír, and élixir

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin elixir, from Arabic الإكسير (al-’iksīr), from Ancient Greek ξήριον (“medicinal powder”), from ξηρός (“dry”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪˈlɪksə/

Noun

elixir (plural elixirs)

1. (alchemy) A liquid which converts lead to gold.
   • 2002, Philip Ball, The Elements: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2004, p. 59:

     For Chinese alchemists, gold held the key to the Elixir, the Eastern equivalent of the Philosopher's Stone.

2. A liquid which is believed to cure all ills and gives eternal life.
3. (pharmacy) A sweet flavored liquid (usually containing a small amount of alcohol) used in compounding medicines to be taken by mouth in order to mask an unpleasant taste.

Derived terms

• elixir of life

Translations

alchemy: liquid which was believed to turn non-precious metals to gold

Chinese: Mandarin: trad. 鍊金藥, simpl. 炼金药 (liànjīngyào) Danish: eliksir (da) c. Finnish: eliksiiri (fi) Georgian: ელექსირი (ka) (elek'siri) German: Elixier (de) n. Greek: ελιξίριο (el) (elixírio) n.

Hungarian: elixír (hu) Italian: elisir (it) m. Japanese: エリクサー (ja) (erikusā) Portuguese: elixir (pt) m. Russian: эликсир (ru) (eliksír) m. Turkish: eliksir (tr)

liquid which is believed to cure all ills

Chinese: Mandarin: trad. 萬能藥, simpl. 万能药 (wànnéngyào) Danish: eliksir (da) c. Finnish: eliksiiri (fi) Georgian: ელექსირი (ka) (elek'siri) German: Elixier (de) n., Zaubertrunk (de) m., Heilmittel (de) n.

Greek: ελιξίριο (el) (elixírio) n. Hungarian: elixír (hu) Italian: elisir (it) m. Japanese: 万能薬 (ja) (bannōyaku) Persian: اکسیر (fa) (eksir) Russian: эликсир (ru) (eliksír) m., панацея (ru) (panacéja) f. Turkish: eliksir (tr)

pharmacy: sweet taste-masking liquid

Danish: eliksir (da) c. Finnish: eliksiiri (fi) French: élixir (fr) m. Georgian: ელექსირი (ka) (elek'siri) German: Elixier (de) n., Heilmittel (de) n.

Greek: ελιξίριο (el) (elixírio) n. Italian: elisir (it) m. Japanese: エリクシル (ja) (erikushiru), エリキシル (ja) (erikishiru) Russian: эликсир (ru) (eliksír) m. Turkish: eliksir (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Arabic: اكسير (’iksīr) Hebrew: סַם פֶּלֶא מַרְפֵּא פֶּלֶא Korean: 연금술의 영액 (yeon-geumsul-ui yeong-aek) Latin: elixir m.

Portuguese: elixir m. Scottish Gaelic: brìgh f., ìocshlaint f. Slovak: elixír m. Spanish: elixir m. Swedish: elixir n.