English speakers took panacea from Latin, but as is the case with many Latin borrowings, the word ultimately traces its roots to Greek: panakēs, meaning "all-healing,” comes from pan-, meaning "all," and akos, meaning “remedy.” The Latin designation Panacea or Panaces was in past centuries awarded to various plants, among them the herb today known as Prunella vulgaris, whose common name is self-heal. In current use, panacea is most often used to decry a remedy that falls far short of what some claim it can do.
The law will improve the lives of local farmers, but it is no panacea. a woman who seems to believe that chicken soup is a panacea for nearly everything
Recent Examples on the WebThe system and product isn’t a panacea against issues that run deeper than communication breakdowns or the ruts some individuals and companies experience. Daryl Austin, WSJ, 28 Aug. 2022 That doesn’t mean the shots will offer a protective panacea. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2022 There’s no miracle cure, panacea or silver bullet to solve all these challenges, but employee rewards and recognition can be a big step in the right direction. Steve Sonnenberg, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 First-generation vaccines were not the panacea hoped for in COVID-19’s early days. Erin Prater, Fortune, 10 July 2022 Ethanol-gasoline blends became popular during the 2000s as a potential panacea for solving US energy dependence on the Middle East as well as a way to clean up the climate. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 12 Apr. 2022 The swooning Steelers could be a panacea of sorts Sunday. Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 1 Dec. 2021 But permitting and supply issues remain, and the financial support won’t be a panacea. Jennifer Hiller, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2022 But for many experts in adoption and women’s health, safe havens are hardly a panacea.New York Times, 6 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Latin, from Greek panakeia, from panakēs all-healing, from pan- + akos remedy