Etymology Map
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Remedy

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a medicine or treatment; a means of correcting something

Where does the word "remedy" come from? It comes from Latin remedium, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
remedium
Latin · ancient
"cure"
're-' plus 'mederi', to heal, the root of 'medicine'
2
Stage 2 of 3
remede
Old French · medieval
"cure"
used in law for redress
3
Stage 3 of 3
remedy
English · 1200s
"cure"
'remedial' dates from the 1600s
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Read the full story

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.