Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Medicine.
  • noun A medicine; a medical formula.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A medicine; remedy.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English lechedom, from Old English lǣċedōm ("medicament, medicine; healing, salvation"), equivalent to leech +‎ -dom.

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Examples

  • Here, thou Robert of Maisey, do thy leechdom on him if he be yet living; but if he be dead, or dieth of his hurt, then do I take the feud on me, to follow it to the utmost against the slayer; even I, David the Red, though I be the youngest of the sons of Jack of the Tofts.

    Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair 1895

  • Therewith speech failed him and his wit therewith; so betwixt them they unarmed him and did him what leechdom they might do there and then; and he was nowise hurt deadly: as for Child Christopher, he had no scratch of steel on him.

    Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair 1895

  • In their hands, too, was almost all the science of the day; their _medicine_, _botany, _ and _astronomy_ displaced the old nomenclature of _leechdom_, _wort-cunning, _ and _star-craft_.

    Brief History of English and American Literature 1886

  • The plant was named Artemisia from Artemis, the Greek name of Diana, and for this reason: "Verily of these three Worts which we named Artemisia, it is said that Diana should find them, and delivered their powers and leechdom to Chiron the Centaur, who first from these Worts set forth a leechdom, and he named these Worts from the name of Diana, Artemis, that is, Artemisias."

    The plant-lore & garden-craft of Shakespeare Henry Nicholson Ellacombe 1868

  • I have done all I might for him, for by my craft have I staunched his blood; but I wot that he needeth long leechdom to be made whole.

    The Sundering Flood William Morris 1865

  • Here, thou Robert of Maisey, do thy leechdom on him if he be yet living; but if he be dead, or dieth of his hurt, then do I take the feud on me, to follow it to the utmost against the slayer; even I, David the Red, though I be the youngest of the sons of Jack of the Tofts.

    Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair William Morris 1865

  • Therewith speech failed him and his wit therewith; so betwixt them they unarmed him and did him what leechdom they might do there and then; and he was nowise hurt deadly: as for Child Christopher, he had no scratch of steel on him.

    Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair William Morris 1865

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