Word of the Day

Friday, November 29, 2002

panacea

\pan-uh-SEE-uh\ , noun;

A remedy for all diseases, problems, or evils; a universal medicine; a cure-all.

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Quotes:

He considered education "the great panacea" and insisted that access to knowledge was the key to all social progress.

-- Diane Ravitch, Left Back

I do not want to overstate the benefits of dialogue. Though I believe it sometimes has almost magical properties, it is not a panacea for all the problems that ail us.

-- Daniel Yankelovich, The Magic of Dialogue

Technology had become a panacea for the great economic, social, and political challenges facing the nation as it embarked on the path of modernization.

-- Paul R. Josephson, Red Atom

Origin:

Panacea derives from Greek panakeia, from panakes, "all-healing," from pan-, "all" + akos, "cure."