a confection believed to contain an antidote to every poison.
Origin: 1520–30; earlier mithridatum < ML, var. of LL mithridātium, n. use of neut. of Mithridātius, equiv. to Mithridāt(ēs) Mithridates VI (see mithridatism) + -ius-ious
mith·ri·date (mĭth'rĭ-dāt') n. An antidote against poison, especially a confection formerly held to be an antidote to all poisons.
[Medieval Latin mithridātum, alteration of Late Latin mithridātīum, from Latin, neuter of Mithridātīus, of Mithridates, from Greek mithridāteios, after Mithridates VI, who is said to have acquired tolerance for poison.]