What does cure mean?
A cure is something that ends a disease or medical condition — a remedy, drug, or treatment that restores a person to health rather than merely easing symptoms. As a verb, to cure means to bring about that recovery, as when antibiotics cure an infection. The word also has an older, non-medical sense: to cure meat, fish, or hides is to preserve them through salting, drying, smoking, or pickling, which is why we speak of cured ham or cured salmon. Derived from the Latin cura, meaning "care" or "concern," the word carries strong positive connotations of healing and hope, though medical professionals often use it cautiously, distinguishing a genuine cure from long-term remission. Common phrases include "a cure for cancer" and "there is no known cure." Both noun and verb forms are standard across British and American English, making it a versatile, everyday word with deep historical roots in the language of care and medicine.
A remedy or treatment that brings about recovery from a disease or condition; also, the state of being restored to health.
"Penicillin proved to be a cure for bacterial infections once thought untreatable."
Often used in the phrase "a cure for [disease]."
To heal or restore to health; or to preserve food, leather, or tobacco by salting, drying, smoking, or pickling.
"It took weeks of rest before the treatment finally cured her persistent cough."
Standard English plural, used chiefly in the medical sense (e.g., cures for various ailments).
"Traditional herbalists claimed their shop held cures for every ailment imaginable."
The word "cure" comes from Latin cura, meaning care — because for most of history, caring for a patient was the closest thing medicine could offer to curing them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cure
Cure derives from the Latin noun cura, meaning "care, concern, or attention" (applied to both healing and administration). It entered English via Old French in the medieval period, where it first carried religious meanings — the "cure of souls" referred to a priest's pastoral responsibility, which survives in words like curate and sinecure. Its medical sense of restoring health developed alongside this older usage, and the food-preservation sense arose later, extending the idea of careful treatment to meats and hides.
Related word forms
How cure is actually used
"Cure" carries a hopeful, positive connotation in medical contexts, but it is often used carefully by doctors, who distinguish a true cure (complete, lasting elimination of disease) from remission or management of symptoms. In food preparation, "cure" refers specifically to preservation methods such as salting, brining, or smoking. The verb is transitive in both senses: you cure an illness or cure meat, not usually just "cure" alone.
Easily confused with cure
"Cure" means a remedy that heals or restores health, while "curse" is a solemn utterance intended to invoke harm — they differ by one letter and one meaning entirely.