# panacea

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌpæn.əˈsiː.ə/ · frequency rank #38,087

## Definitions
1. A remedy believed to cure all disease and prolong life that was originally sought by alchemists; a cure-all.
2. A solution to all problems.
3. The plant allheal (Valeriana officinalis), believed to cure all ills.

## Etymology
From Latin panacēa, from Ancient Greek πανάκεια (panákeia), from πανακής (panakḗs, “all-healing”), from πᾶν (pân, “all”) (equivalent to English pan-) + ἄκος (ákos, “cure”).

## Easily confused with
- **Panama** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/panacea-vs-panama)
- **panache** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/panacea-vs-panache)
- **palace** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/palace-vs-panacea)
- **palaces** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/palaces-vs-panacea)

## Common misspellings (9)
`apnacea`, `paancea`, `panacae`, `panaccea`, `panaeca`, `pancaea`, `pannacea`, `pnaacea`, `ppanacea`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/panacea