From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Medicine \Med"i*cine\, n. [L. medicina (sc. ars), fr. medicinus
medical, fr. medicus: cf. F. m['e]decine. See {Medical}.]
1. The science which relates to the prevention, cure, or
alleviation of disease.
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2. Any substance administered in the treatment of disease; a
remedial agent; a medication; a drug; a pharmaceutical; a
medicament; a remedy; physic.
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By medicine, life may be prolonged. --Shak.
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3. A philter or love potion. [Obs.] --Shak.
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4. [F. m['e]decin.] A physician. [Obs.] --Shak.
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5.
(a) Among the North American Indians, any object supposed
to give control over natural or magical forces, to act
as a protective charm, or to cause healing; also,
magical power itself; the potency which a charm,
token, or rite is supposed to exert.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
The North American Indian boy usually took as
his medicine the first animal of which he
dreamed during the long and solitary fast that
he observed at puberty. --F. H.
Giddings.
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(b) Hence, a similar object or agency among other savages.
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6. Short for {Medicine man}.
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7. Intoxicating liquor; drink. [Slang]
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
{Medicine bag}, a charm; -- so called among the North
American Indians, or in works relating to them.
{Medicine man} (among the North American Indians), a person
who professes to cure sickness, drive away evil spirits,
and regulate the weather by the arts of magic; a shaman.
{Medicine seal}, a small gem or paste engraved with reversed
characters, to serve as a seal. Such seals were used by
Roman physicians to stamp the names of their medicines.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
medicine man
n 1: a Native American shaman
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