different between theriac vs theriaca

English

Alternative forms

• theriaca

Etymology

From Middle French thériaque, from Medieval Latin theriaca, from Ancient Greek ??????? (th?riak?, “antidote”) feminine form of ???????? (th?riakós, “concerning venomous beasts”), from ??? (th?r, “beast”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [???.?i..?k], [???.?i..?k]

Noun

theriac (plural theriacs)

1. (historical, pharmacology) A supposed universal antidote against poison, especially snake venom; specifically, one such developed in the 1st century as an improvement on mithridate.
   • 1975, Guido Majno, The Healing Hand, Harvard University Press, 1991, paperback edition, 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.

   • 2010, Richard Swiderski, Poison Eaters, Universal-Publishers, page 54,

     A number of theriacs and mithridatia appear in the writings of ancient doctors, but it is rare to find an account of how one of them was used and the effect it had.

2. (obsolete) Treacle; molasses.

Usage notes

• Originally developed in antiquity for kings and used as both preventive and antidote, it came to be regarded as a panacea. In mediaeval times it was thought effective against the bubonic plague and was known among English apothecaries as Venice treacle.

Translations

Adjective

theriac (comparative more theriac, superlative most theriac)

1. (obsolete) Theriacal; medicinal.

See also

• mithridate
• panacea
• treacle
• Venice treacle

Anagrams

• Archite, Rhaetic

English

Noun

theriaca (plural theriacas or theriacae)

1. theriac

Anagrams

• Iracheta, citharae, citharæ

Latin

Alternative forms

• th?riac?, th?riaca, th?riaca, t?riaca, t?riaca, t?riaca

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ??????? (th?riak?).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /t?e??ri.a.ka/, [t??e???iäkä]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /te?ri.a.ka/, [t????i??k?]

Noun

th?riaca f (genitive th?riacae); first declension

1. antidote, counter-remedy, panacea, antitoxin, theriac, treacle

Declension

First-declension noun.

Descendants

• Old French: triacle f or m
  • Middle French: triacle f or m
    • French: triacle f or m
  • ? Middle Dutch: triakel
  • ? Middle English: triacle, triacul, triakle, triakel, triakele, triakil, treacle, treacul, treakil, treakille
    • English: treacle
  • ? Middle High German: triakel f or m, driakel, triaker, driaker
    • German: Triakel m or f, Driakel m or f, Driaker m, Triaker m, Dreiocker m etc.
• ? Middle French: thériaque
  • French: thériaque
  • ? English: theriac
• ? Old Norse: tréhakl
• Sicilian: triaca

Further reading

• theriaca in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette