medicate

Name: medicate, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈmɛdɪkeɪt/

//ˈmɛdɪkeɪt// verb

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“medicate” is uncommon English (frequency #54,330 among 36,575 “M” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,330
frequency rank, English: 36,575
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To prescribe or administer medication to.

Key facts for medicate
Property	Value
Headword	medicate
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/ˈmɛdɪkeɪt/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#54,330
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “medicate” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). medicate lands here:

#54,330

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

medicate is uncommon English at frequency #54,330 among 36,575 “M” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈmɛdɪkeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for medicate in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin medicō (“heal, cure”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix). The correct English form is medicate, spelled M-E-D-I-C-A-T-E.

Definition

1
To prescribe or administer medication to.
2
To have a medicinal or healing effect on a person, body part, or ailment; to act on.

Etymology

From Latin medicō (“heal, cure”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix).

This word in other languages

medicar(Español)verschreiben(Deutsch)medicar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "medicate"?

"medicate" is spelled M-E-D-I-C-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛdɪkeɪt/.

What does "medicate" mean?

As a verb, "medicate" means: To prescribe or administer medication to.

How do you pronounce "medicate"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "medicate" is /ˈmɛdɪkeɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What is the origin of the word "medicate"?

From Latin medicō (“heal, cure”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix). See the full etymology section above for more details.

Is PlainSpell free to use?

Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “medicate”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is M-E-D-I-C-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈmɛdɪkeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.