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Producing great physical effects; forcible; powerful' efficacious; as, a potent medicine. "Harsh and potent injuries." Shak. Moses once more his potent rod extends. Milton.

A draught; a dose; usually, a draught or dose of a liquid medicine. Shak.

In practice or use; as, a medicine practically safe; theoretically wrong, but practically right. 4. Almost.

wants of men; the exercise of any profession; professional business; as, the practice of medicine or law; a large or lucrative practice. Practice is exercise of an art, or the application of a science in life, which application is itself an art. Sir W. Hamilton.

gaged in the actual use or exercise of any art or profession, particularly that of law or medicine. Crabbe.

Preceptive. [Obs.] [Passion] would give preceptial medicine to rage. Shak.

Capable of being prepared. "Medicine preparable by art." Boyle.

ed by a certain process or for a particular purpose; a combination. Specifically: (a) Any medicinal substance fitted for use. (b) Anything treated for preservation or examination as a specimen. (c) Something prepared for use in cookery. I wish the chemists had been more sparing who magnify their preparations. Sir T. Br…

To write or to give medical directions; to indicate remedies; as, to prescribe for a patient in a fever.

A medical prescription. [Obs.] Bp. Fell.

A direction of a remedy or of remedies for a disease, and the manner of using them; a medical recipe; also, a prescribed remedy.

Tending to defeat or hinder; obviating; preventing the access of; as, a medicine preventive of disease. Physic is either curative or preventive. Sir T. Browne. Preventive service, the duty performed by the armed police in guarding the coast against smuggling. [Eng]

A name given to several species of stonecrop, used as ingredients of vermifuge medicines. See Stonecrop.

such as those made by a client to his legal adviser, or by persons to their religious or medical advisers. (b) A communication which does not expose the party making it to indictment for libel, -- such as those made by persons communicating confidentially with a government, persons consulted confidentially as to the c…

The art and science of predicting in medicine. Laycock.

of taste, touch, and smell, or otherwise affect the living organism, as in the manner of medicines and poisons.

A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.

Belonging, or pertaining, to a proprietor; considered as property; owned; as, proprietary medicine. Proprietary articles, manufactured articles which some person or persons have exclusive right to make and sell. U. S. Statutes.

To be found by experience, trial, or result; to turn out to be; as, a medicine proves salutary; the report proves false. "The case proves mortal." Arbuthnot. So life a winter's morn may prove. Keble.

ease, especially of a functional nervous disease, by mere force of example. -- Psychical medicine, that department of medicine which treats of mental diseases.