different between theriac vs treacle

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

Wikibooks

Etymology

From Middle English triacle, partly from Old French triacle, and partly from Old English tiriaca, both from Late Latin *triaca, *tiriaca, late form of theriaca, ultimately from Ancient Greek ??????? (th?riak?, “antidote”), feminine form of ???????? (th?riakós, “concerning venomous beasts”), from ??? (th?r, “beast”). Compare theriac, theriacle.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?t?i?.k?l/
• Rhymes: -i?k?l

Noun

treacle (countable and uncountable, plural treacles)

1. (chiefly Britain) A syrupy byproduct of sugar refining; molasses or golden syrup.
2. Cloying sentimental speech.

   • The public tributes to Griffith were over-the-top in a way his acting never was, spreading treacle from the evening newscasts to the front page of the New York Times.

3. (Cockney rhyming slang) Sweetheart (from treacle tart).

   Listen, treacle, this is the last time I'll warn you!

4. (obsolete) An antidote for poison; theriac.
5. (obsolete, figuratively) Any all-powerful curative; a general remedy, a cure-all.
   • c. 1385, William Langland, Piers Plowman, I:

     For trewthe telleþ þat loue · is triacle of heuene.

Derived terms

• treacle paper
• treacle tart
• treacly

Translations

Verb

treacle (third-person singular simple present treacles, present participle treacling, simple past and past participle treacled)

1. To apply treacle to a surface, so as to catch flies or moths, etc.

Anagrams

• Electra, lac tree