medicine

medicine — noun

1. the science and practice of preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease and inj

1.名詞A2
釋義

the science and practice of preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease and injury; the study of how to keep people healthy and help them recover when they are sick

例句

Stefan decided to study medicine at the university in Kaohsiung.

study medicine — collocation for academic study

Modern medicine has found new ways to treat lung cancer and other diseases.

同義詞
  • healthcare

    broader term that includes nursing, public health, and allied professions alongside medicine

  • medical science

    more formal, emphasises the scientific research rather than clinical practice

  • healing

    less scientific, more traditional or spiritual connotation

文法句型

study + medicine

practice + medicine

用法筆記

Uncountable in this sense — you cannot say 'a medicine' or 'medicines' when referring to the field or profession. Frequently occurs in academic contexts with 'study', 'practice', 'advances in', and 'modern'.

常見錯誤

❌She studies a medicine at university.
✅She studies medicine at university.
💡the field of study is uncountable, so no article is used.
❌He practiced medicines for twenty years.
✅He practiced medicine for twenty years.
💡'medicine' meaning the profession is uncountable.

2. a substance — such as a pill, syrup, cream, or injection — that people take or u

2.名詞A2
釋義

a substance — such as a pill, syrup, cream, or injection — that people take or use to cure a disease, treat an injury, or relieve symptoms

例句

The nurse gave Tunde a spoonful of medicine for his fever.

medicine + for + [symptom] — purpose pattern

Did you remember to take your allergy medicine before breakfast?

take + possessive + medicine — daily routine

同義詞
  • medication

    slightly more formal, common in medical settings; interchangeable in most contexts

  • drug

    broader; includes illegal substances and non-medicinal chemicals; can be misleading outside medical contexts

  • remedy

    may refer to traditional or home treatments, not only pharmaceutical products

  • pill

    specific to tablet form; not a synonym for liquid or cream medicine

反義詞
  • poison

    a substance that harms rather than heals

文法句型

take + medicine

medicine + for + [illness]

用法筆記

Can be countable ('a medicine', 'different medicines') when referring to specific types or doses. Uncountable ('some medicine', 'a lot of medicine') when talking about the substance generally. 'Take your medicine' is both literal and the source of a common idiom (see Idioms below).

常見錯誤

❌I need to drink my medicine.
✅I need to take my medicine.
💡'drink' is only for liquids; 'take' works for pills, syrups, injections, and creams.
❌He has a medicine for his cough — it is a syrup.
✅He has some medicine for his cough
💡it is a syrup.' — when referring to a general substance, use the uncountable form.