to use medicine or medical methods to cure someone or an illness
example
Vaccination is used not only for preventing, but also for treating infectious diseases.
synonyms
curehealhelp
word origin — Middle English (in the senses ‘negotiate’ and ‘discuss a subject’): from Old French traitier, from Latin tractare ‘handle’, frequentative of trahere ‘draw, pull’. The current noun sense dates from the mid 17th century
Intermediate — Set 14
Set 14 of Intermediate covers 5 words: treat, suffer, prescribe, ache, operate. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.
treat · verb/trit/
to use medicine or medical methods to cure someone or an illness
Vaccination is used not only for preventing, but also for treating infectious diseases.
Synonyms: cure, heal, help
Origin: Middle English (in the senses ‘negotiate’ and ‘discuss a subject’): from Old French traitier, from Latin tractare ‘handle’, frequentative of trahere ‘draw, pull’. The current noun sense dates from the mid 17th century
suffer · verb/ˈsəfər/
to feel physical or mental pain
Her sister had suffered severely from arthritis for 5 years before she passed away.
Synonyms: go through, undergo
Origin: Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French suffrir, from Latin sufferre, from sub- ‘from below’ + ferre ‘to bear’
prescribe · verb/priˈskraɪb/
to order the use of a medicine or treatment
Due to increasing pain in her leg, the doctor prescribed her a stronger medicine.
Synonyms: order, authorize
Origin: late Middle English (in the sense ‘confine within bounds’, also as a legal term meaning ‘claim by prescription’): from Latin praescribere ‘direct in writing’, from prae ‘before’ + scribere ‘write’
ache · verb/eɪk/
to cause continuous dull pain
He had too much to drink the night before, so his head was aching terribly.
Synonyms: hurt
Origin: Old English æce (noun), acan (verb). In Middle English and early modern English the noun was spelled atche and rhymed with ‘batch’ and the verb was spelled and pronounced as it is today. The noun began to be pronounced like the verb around 1700. The modern spelling is largely due to Dr Johnson, who mistakenly assumed its derivation to be from Greek akhos ‘pain’
operate · verb/ˈɑpəˌreɪt/
to perform surgery
According to the surgeon, open-heart surgery is too risky at her age, and so he can't operate.
Synonyms: carry out, conduct
Origin: early 17th century: from Latin operat- ‘done by labor’, from the verb operari, from opus, oper- ‘work’