dose
pronunciation
How to pronounce dose in British English:
UK [dəʊs]
How to pronounce dose in American English:
US [doʊs]
-
- Noun:
- a measured portion of medicine taken at any one time
- the quantity of an active agent (substance or radiation) taken in or absorbed at any one time
- street name for lysergic acid diethylamide
-
- Verb:
- treat with an agent; add (an agent) to
- administer a drug to
Word Origin
- dose
- dose: [15] A dose is literally ‘that which is given to one’ – etymologically and semantically, it is a parallel formation to donation. It comes via French dose and late Latin dosis from Greek dósis, a derivative of the verb didónai ‘give’ (which is related to English date, donate, etc). It originally meant simply ‘giving, gift’, but was used by Greek physicians such as Galen for ‘portion of medicine administered’, and it is that application that has proved most durable. The modern slang sense ‘venereal infection’ dates from just before World War I.=> date, donate
- dose (n.)
- early 15c., "the giving of medicine (in a specified amount or at a stated time)," from Middle French dose (15c.) or directly from Late Latin dosis, from Greek dosis "a portion prescribed," literally "a giving," used by Galen and other Greek physicians to mean an amount of medicine, from stem of didonai "to give" (see date (n.1)). Slang meaning "venereal disease" is from 1914.
- dose (v.)
- 1650s, from dose (n.). Related: Dosed; dosing.
Example
- 1. The detergent diluted the fertiliser 's fatal dose .
- 2. The dose of thiopurines could be adjusted accordingly .
- 3. A small dose of inflation may not be so bad .
- 4. Previous experiments have shown that neither dose perceptibly harms bees .
- 5. A psychiatrist should guide any changes in type or dose of medication .