mithridate
/ˈmɪθrəˌdeɪt/
"mithridate" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mithridate” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various historical medicines, typically an electuary compounded with various poison, believed to derive from Mithridates VI and to serve as a universal antidote.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mithridate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmɪθrəˌdeɪt/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mithridate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for mithridate is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɪθrəˌdeɪt/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for mithridate, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mitridate and methridat, from Old French mithridat, from Late Latin mithridatum and mithridatium, from Latin Mithridātīus (“of or related to Mithridates”), from Mithridātēs + -ius, from Ancient Greek Μιθριδάτης (Mithridátēs), the Greek f… The correct English form is mithridate, spelled M-I-T-H-R-I-D-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1Any of various historical medicines, typically an electuary compounded with various poison, believed to derive from Mithridates VI and to serve as a universal antidote.
- 2Any of various historical medicines, typically an electuary compounded with various poison, believed to derive from Mithridates VI and to serve as a universal antidote.
- 3Ellipsis of mithridate mustard.
Etymology
From Middle English mitridate and methridat, from Old French mithridat, from Late Latin mithridatum and mithridatium, from Latin Mithridātīus (“of or related to Mithridates”), from Mithridātēs + -ius, from Ancient Greek Μιθριδάτης (Mithridátēs), the Greek form of the name of Mithridates VI of Pontus. Doublet of mithridatium, mithridatum, and mithridaticon.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “mithridate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-I-T-H-R-I-D-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmɪθrəˌdeɪt/ (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
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.