the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. A remedy for all diseases; a panacea.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A remedy for all diseases; a universal remedy; a panacea; specifically, a kind of soft purgative electuary so called.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; once sought by the alchemists
Word Usage
"There is no catholicon or universal remedy I know, but this, which though nauseous to queasy stomachs, yet to prepared appetites is nectar, and a pleasant potion of im mortality."