theriac

English

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theriac

Alternative forms

theriaca, theriace, theriack, theriaque (obs.)

Etymology

From Medieval Latin theriacum, from Ancient Greek θηριακὸν (thēriakòn) and Late Latin theriaca, from Ancient Greek θηριακὴ (thēriakḕ, “of or related to poisonous reptiles”), from θηρίον (thēríon, “little beast”) + -κός (-kós), from θήρ (thḗr, “beast”) + -ίον (-íon, diminutive suffix). Doublet of theriaca.

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈθɪriˌæk/, /ˈθɪəriˌæk/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈθɪərɪak/

Noun

theriac (countable and uncountable, plural theriacs)

(pharmacology, historical) A universal antidote against all poisons, particularly medicines considered to derive from a recipe of the Roman physician Andromachus and representing an improvement on mithridate.
- 1558, William Bullein, The Government of Health, fol. 120:
  This excellent triacle Methridatum is nexte in qualitye and virtue to Theriaca... but onely Theriaca is a little hotter and stronger againste venyme of Snakes.
- 1811, John Quincy et al., Quincy's Lexicon-Medicum..., s.v:
  Theriaca Andromachi, the Venice or Mithridate treacle...
  Theriaca communis, common treacle, or molasses...
  Theriaca Londinensis, a cataplasm of cummin seed, bay-berries, germander, snake-root, cloves and honey.
- 1975, Guido Majno, The Healing Hand, Harvard University Press, page 415:
  From then on galene became the theriac par excellence, known simply as theriac, and there never was a more successful drug […] Those who could afford it gulped down a bean-sized lump of theriac for practically everything from the Black Death to nothing at all, as a preventive.
Theriac was essentially homeopathic in its supposed function, being an improvement on mithridate by virtue of containing more poisons.
(figurative) A hyponym of panacea.
(pharmacology, archaic) Synonym of antidote, particularly (pseudoscience) those incorporating snakemeat to cure snakebite.
- 1568, Gilbert Skeyne, Ane Breue Descriptioun of the Pest, Ch. 7:
  ...ane half vnce of guid auld theriac...
- 1666, Philosophical Transactions, volume I, page 160:
  ...the great number of Vipers, brought to the Grand Duke of Toscany for the composing of Theriac or Treacle...
- 2021, Alisha Rankin, The Poison Trials‎, page 179:
  ...in the herbal (Kra:uterbuch) of German physician Adam Lonicer... In his final edition, published in 1587 (the year after his death), Lonicer added an entry on bezoar, "a stone against all poison," which he highlighted as "more powerful than any other poison antidote or theriac."
(obsolete) Synonym of molasses.