elixir

See also: elixír, elíxir, and élixir

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin elixir, from Arabic اَلْإِكْسِير (al-ʔiksīr), from Ancient Greek ξηρίον (xēríon, “medicinal powder”), from ξηρός (xērós, “dry”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪˈlɪksə(ɹ)/, /ə-/, /-ɪə(ɹ)/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪksə(ɹ)

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. (alchemy) A substance or liquid which is believed to cure all ills and give eternal life.
3. (by extension) The alleged cure for all ailments; cure-all, panacea.
   • 2015, The Boston Globe, Steven Pinker, The moral imperative for bioethics:

     The silver-bullet cancer cures of yesterday’s newsmagazine covers, like interferon and angiogenesis inhibitors, disappointed the breathless expectations, as have elixirs such as antioxidants, Vioxx, and hormone replacement therapy.

4. (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.
   • 1906, JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association (volume 47, pages 872-875)

     The subcommittee's report to the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry shows that the action of somnos is practically identical with that of a 5 per cent elixir of hydrated chloral.

Derived terms

• elixir of life

Translations

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

• Arabic: إِكْسِير m (ʔiksīr)
• Bulgarian: еликси́р (bg) m (eliksír)
• Catalan: elixir m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鍊金藥／炼金药, 炼金药 (liànjīnyào)

• Danish: eliksir c
• Finnish: eliksiiri (fi)
• Georgian: ელექსირი (eleksiri)
• German: Elixier (de) n
• Greek: ελιξήριο (el) n (elixírio)
• Hungarian: elixír (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: elisir (it) m
• Japanese: エリクサー (erikusā)
• Korean: 엘릭서 (ellikseo)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: eliksir (no) m

  Nynorsk: eliksir m

• Portuguese: elixir (pt) m
• Russian: эликси́р (ru) m (eliksír)
• Spanish: elixir (es) m
• Turkish: eliksir (tr)

liquid which is believed to cure all ills

• Bulgarian: еликси́р (bg) m (eliksír)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 仙丹 (zh) (xiāndān), 萬能藥／万能药, 万能药 (wànnéngyào)

• Danish: eliksir c
• Dutch: elixer (nl)
• Finnish: eliksiiri (fi)
• Georgian: ელექსირი (eleksiri)
• German: Elixier (de) n, Zaubertrunk m, Heilmittel (de) n
• Greek: ελιξήριο (el) n (elixírio)
• Hindi: अमृत (hi) m (amŕt)
• Hungarian: elixír (hu)
• Italian: elisir (it) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 万能薬 (bannōyaku)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: eliksir (no) m

  Nynorsk: eliksir m

• Persian: اکسیر (fa) (eksir)
• Portuguese: elixir (pt) m
• Russian: эликси́р (ru) m (eliksír), панаце́я (ru) f (panacéja)
• Scottish Gaelic: brìgh f, ìocshlaint f
• Spanish: elixir (es) m
• Turkish: eliksir (tr)

pharmacy: sweet taste-masking liquid

• Danish: eliksir c
• Dutch: elixer (nl)
• Finnish: eliksiiri (fi)
• French: élixir (fr) m
• Georgian: ელექსირი (eleksiri)
• German: Elixier (de) n, Heilmittel (de) n
• Greek: ελιξήριο (el) n (elixírio)
• Italian: elisir (it) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: エリクシル (erikushiru), エリキシル (erikishiru)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: eliksir (no) m

  Nynorsk: eliksir m

• Portuguese: elixir (pt) m
• Russian: эликси́р (ru) m (eliksír)
• Turkish: eliksir (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} اكسير (’iksīr)
• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} סַם פֶּלֶא, ^{(please verify)} מַרְפֵּא פֶּלֶא,
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 연금술의 영액 (yeon'geumsurui yeong'aek) (yeon-geumsul-ui yeong-aek)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} elixir n, ^{(please verify)} elixirium n
• Slovak: ^{(please verify)} elixír m
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} elixir (sv) n

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Asturian

Verb

elixir

1. to choose
2. to elect

Synonyms

• escoyer

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Dutch

Etymology

From Medieval Latin elixir, from Arabic اَلْإِكْسِير (al-ʔiksīr), from Ancient Greek ξηρίον (xēríon, “medicinal powder”), from ξηρός (xērós, “dry”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌeːˈlɪk.sɪr/, /ˌeːˈlɪk.sər/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: elixir

Noun

elixir n (plural elixirs, diminutive elixirtje n)

1. Alternative form of elixer

Derived terms

• maagelixir

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Galician

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin eligo. Doublet of esleer.

Compare Portuguese eleger and Spanish elegir.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɛ.li.ˈʃiɾ]

Verb

1. to choose, elect
   • 1418, Á. Rodríguez González (ed.), Libro do Concello de Santiago (1416-1422). Santiago de Compostela: Consello da Cultura Galega, page 85:

     para que dos ditos dose omes o dito señor arçobispo o a quel que seu poder para elo touvese tomase et eligise dous deles que os lle aprovuese et os dese por alcalles enna dita çidade en quel anno

     so that of that twelve men said lord archbishop, or anyone who his power has at the momment, takes and chooses two of them, and that he approves and gives them as mayors of said city for that year

   Synonym: escoller

Etymology 2

From Medieval Latin elixir, from Arabic اَلْإِكْسِير (al-ʔiksīr), from Ancient Greek ξηρίον (xēríon, “medicinal powder”), from ξηρός (xērós, “dry”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɛ.lik.ˈsiɾ]

Noun

elixir m (plural elixires)

1. elixir

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “eligir”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “elig”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “elexir”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “elixir”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “elixir”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

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Portuguese

Noun

elixir m (plural elixires)

1. (alchemy) elixir (liquid which was believed to turn non-precious metals to gold)
2. (fiction) a magical potion

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Romanian

Etymology

From French élixir.

Noun

elixir n (plural elixire)

1. elixir

Declension

Declension of elixir

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) elixir	elixirul	(niște) elixire	elixirele
genitive/dative	(unui) elixir	elixirului	(unor) elixire	elixirelor
vocative	elixirule		elixirelor

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Spanish

Noun

elixir m (plural elixires)

1. Alternative spelling of elíxir

Further reading

• “elixir”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014