physic

adj
/ˈfɪz.ɪk/CA/ˈfəz.ək/

Etymology

From Middle English phisik, from Latin physicus, from Ancient Greek φῠσῐκός (phŭsĭkós, “natural; physical”), from φύσις (phúsis, “origin, birth; nature, quality; form, shape; type, kind”), from φῠ́ω (phŭ́ō, “grow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to appear, become, rise up”).

  1. derived from *bʰuH-
  2. derived from φῠσῐκός
  3. derived from physicus
  4. inherited from phisik

Definitions

  1. Relating to or concerning existent materials

    Relating to or concerning existent materials; physical.

  2. A medicine or drug, especially a cathartic or purgative.

    • Harke yee Lords, you ſee I haue giuen her Phiſicke, / And you muſt needs beſtovv her Funerall, […]
    • I ſhould not thinke it ſtrange, for 'tis a phyſicke / That's bitter, to ſweet end.
    • Nor can thy shame give physic to my grief.
  3. The art or profession of healing disease

    The art or profession of healing disease; medicine.

    • ...and thus draw out all the unwholesome Air and Stench, which does more harm than any Physick can repair.
  4. + 4 more definitions
    1. Natural philosophy

      Natural philosophy; physics.

    2. A physician.

      • Desire is death, which physic did except.
    3. To cure or heal.

      • Wouldſt thou not haue ſome Bulchin from the herd / To phyſicke thee of this venereall itch?
    4. To administer medicine to, especially a purgative.

      • I will physic your rankness […]
      • When she had been a little girl - a very little girl - her mother had once cried at Anne in utter exasperation, "You're so contrary cheese'd physic ya!"

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at physic. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01physic02profession03professional04belongs05belong06bound07stand08physically09physics

A definitional loop anchored at physic. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

9 hops · closes at physic

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA