panacea

noun

pan·​a·​cea ˌpa-nə-ˈsē-ə How to pronounce panacea (audio)
: a remedy for all ills or difficulties : cure-all
The law will improve the lives of local farmers, but it is no panacea.
panacean adjective

Did you know?

English speakers took panacea from Latin, but as is the case with many Latin borrowings, the word ultimately traces its roots to Greek: panakēs, meaning "all-healing,” comes from pan-, meaning "all," and akos, meaning “remedy.” The Latin designation Panacea or Panaces was in past centuries awarded to various plants, among them the herb today known as Prunella vulgaris, whose common name is self-heal. In current use, panacea is most often used to decry a remedy that falls far short of what some claim it can do.

Examples of panacea in a Sentence

The law will improve the lives of local farmers, but it is no panacea. a woman who seems to believe that chicken soup is a panacea for nearly everything
Recent Examples on the Web The outcome will hardly be a financial panacea, given that the N.R.A. has spent tens of millions of dollars a year in legal fees defending this and other cases. Kate Christobek, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024 While not a panacea, recent policy changes, combined with a mindset shift, could go a long way to turning the tide on the opioid crisis that has claimed so many lives. Joëlla W. Adams, STAT, 5 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for panacea 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'panacea.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin panacēa "universal remedy, cure-all," going back to Latin, "any of various medicinal plants," borrowed from Greek panákeia "name of a medicinal plant, universal remedy, (as a personified abstraction) a goddess of healing," derivative of panakḗs "all-healing," from pan- pan- + -akēs, adjective derivative of ákos (neuter s-stem) "cure, remedy, relief," of uncertain origin

Note: If initial aspiration was lost, and the aspiration was the residue of yod, then ákos might be comparable with Old Irish ícc "payment, compensation, redemption, act of curing, healing" (Modern Irish íoc), Middle Welsh yach "healthy" (Modern Welsh iach), Old Cornish iach (glossing Latin sānus), Old Breton iac (glossing Latin suspite = sospite "safe and sound") (Modern Breton yac'h "healthy"). The phonetic details are problematic, however.

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of panacea was in 1548

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Cite this Entry

“Panacea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/panacea. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

panacea

noun
pan·​a·​cea ˌpan-ə-ˈsē-ə How to pronounce panacea (audio)
: a remedy for all ills or difficulties : cure-all

Medical Definition

panacea

noun
pan·​a·​cea ˌpan-ə-ˈsē-ə How to pronounce panacea (audio)
: a remedy for all ills or difficulties
panacean adjective

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