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Where does the word "remedy" come from? It comes from Latin remedium, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
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Where does the word "remedy" come from? It comes from Latin remedium, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
Remedy’s story begins in Latin: remedium meant “cure.” 're-' plus 'mederi', to heal, the root of 'medicine'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as remede. Used in law for redress. It reached English by 1200s as remedy. 'remedial' dates from the 1600s. Today, remedy means a medicine or treatment; a means of correcting something.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient remedium "cure", 're-' plus 'mederi', to heal, the root of 'medicine'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval remede "cure", used in law for redress.
- Stage 3 · English · 1200s remedy "cure", 'remedial' dates from the 1600s.