# antidote
## English
### Alternative forms

* antidot (obsolete)

### Etymology

From Latin antidotum, from Ancient Greek ἀντίδοτος (antídotos, “antidote, remedy”), from ἀντιδίδωμι (antidídōmi, “I give in return, repay”), from ἀντί (antí, “against”) + δίδωμι (dídōmi, “I give”). Compare French antidote.

### Pronunciation

* (General American) IPA: /ˈæn.tɪ.doʊt/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)

### Noun

antidote (plural antidotes)
* A remedy to counteract the effects of poison.
    Synonyms: mithridatic, alexipharmic, alexipharmac, alexipharmacum, alexiteric, alexitery, treacle, theriac
    She reached the hospital in time to receive the antidote for the snake venom.
** c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii], page 149, column 2:Can'ſt thou not Miniſter to a minde diſeas'd, / Plucke from the Memory a rooted Sorrow, / Raze out the written troubles of the Braine, / And with ſome ſweet Obliuious Antidote / Cleanſe the ſtufft boſome, of that perillous ſtuffe / Which weighes vpon the heart?
** 2014 December 23, Olivia Judson, “The hemiparasite season”, in The New York Times‎:The druids […] believed that mistletoe could make barren animals fecund, and that it was an antidote to all poisons.
* (figurative) Something that counteracts or prevents something harmful.
    Synonym: remedy
    We need an antidote for this misinformation.

#### Usage notes

In reference to the specific poison the antidote is protective against, used with the prepositions against or for or used with an explanatory infinitive verb.

#### Hyponyms

* (poison remedy): antivenom, antivenin, antivenene; universal antidote, mithridate, mithridatium, mithridaticon, theriac, Venice treacle, treacle
* (antidotes made from animal fluids): serum, antiserum

#### Derived terms

* antiantidote
* antidotary
* antidotical

#### Related terms

* antidotal
* antidotic
* antidotically

#### Descendants

* Malay: antidot
** Indonesian: antidot

#### Translations
### Verb

antidote (third-person singular simple present antidotes, present participle antidoting, simple past and past participle antidoted)
* (transitive) To counteract as an antidote.
** 2007, Suzanne C. Lawton, Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, Asperger syndrome: natural steps toward a better life, page 143:For his part, the patient must avoid some commonplace substances in order to avoid antidoting or stopping the action of the homeopathic remedy […]

#### See also

* theriac

### References

* “antidote”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

### Anagrams

* tetanoid

## French
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin antidotum.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɑ̃.ti.dɔt/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

antidote m (plural antidotes)
* antidote

#### Descendants

* → Romanian: antidot
* → Turkish: antidot

### Further reading

* “antidote”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

### Anagrams

* détonait
* dotaient

## Portuguese
### Verb

antidote
* inflection of antidotar:
** first/third-person singular present subjunctive
** third-person singular imperative