concoction

English

WOTD – 1 October 2015

Etymology

From Latin concoctiō.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kənˈkɒkʃən/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /kənˈkɑkʃɪn/, [kʰənˈkʰɑkʃɪn], [kʰəŋˈkʰɑkʃɪn]

• (Australia)

  (file)

Noun

concoction (countable and uncountable, plural concoctions)

1. The preparing of a medicine, food or other substance out of many ingredients.
   • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 178:

     Salt is a very favoured ingredient of spell-binding concoctions.

2. A mixture prepared in such a way.
3. Something made up, an invention.
4. (obsolete) Digestion (of food etc.).
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “New York Review of Books”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, page 260:

     [Sorrow] hinders concoction, refrigerates the heart, takes away stomach, colour, and sleep; thickens the blood […]

5. (obsolete, figurative) The act of digesting in the mind; rumination.
   • 1624, John Donne, Deuotions upon Emergent Occasions, and Seuerall Steps in My Sicknes: […], London: Printed by A[ugustine] M[atthews] for Thomas Iones, →OCLC; republished as Geoffrey Keynes, edited by John Sparrow, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions: […], Cambridge: At the University Press, 1923, →OCLC:

     At last , the physicians after a long and stormy voyage , see land ; they have so good signs of the concoction of the disease , as that they may safely proceed to purge .

6. (obsolete, medicine) Abatement of a morbid process, such as fever, and return to a normal condition.
7. (obsolete) The act of perfecting or maturing.
   • 1631, Francis [Bacon], “IX. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC:

     There are also divers other great alterations of matter and bodies , besides those that tend to concoction and maturation

Translations

preparing of substance from many ingredients

• Dutch: brouwsel (nl)
• Finnish: sekoittaminen (fi)
• German: Mischen n
• Italian: mistura (it) f, intruglio (it) m, miscuglio (it) m
• Plautdietsch: Brie m
• Swedish: brygd (sv) c, tillblandning c

mixture so prepared

• Catalan: concocció f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 混合物 (zh) (hùnhéwù)

• Dutch: mengsel (nl)
• Finnish: keitos
• German: Mischung (de) f, Zubereitung (de) f, Gemisch (de) n
• Greek: μείγμα (el) n (meígma)
• Hebrew: מִרְקַחַת (he) f (mirqáẖat)
• Macedonian: напиток m (napitok), напивка f (napivka)
• Plautdietsch: Brie m
• Polish: konkokcja f
• Spanish: brebaje (es) m, poción (es) f, mejunje (es) m, cocimiento m
• Swedish: hopkok n, brygd (sv) c

something made up

• Dutch: preparaat (nl)
• Finnish: keitos
• Italian: macchinazione (it) f, accrocco m, lavoro abborracciato m
• Swedish: påhitt (sv) n

French

Etymology

From Latin concoctiōnem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.kɔk.sjɔ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

concoction f (plural concoctions)

1. concoction (mixture)

Further reading

• “concoction”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle French

Etymology

From Latin concoctiōnem.

Noun

concoction f (plural concoctions)

1. concoction (mixture)