Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

A.drug, whether healing or noxious: in Hom. the sense is freq. determined by an epith., “φάρμακα, πολλὰ μὲν ἐσθλὰ . . , πολλὰ δὲ λυγρά” Od.4.230; “τόδε φ. ἐσθλόν” 10.287, cf. 292; φ. ἤπια, ὀδυνήφατα (v. infr. 2); κακὰ φ. ib.213; φ. λυγρά ib. 236; φ. οὐλόμενον ib.394; “ἀνδροφόνον” 1.261; “θυμοφθόρα φ.” 2.329; so, after Hom., “προσανέα φ.” Pi.P.3.52; “παιώνια” A.Ag.848; “χρήσιμον” Pl.R.382c; “θανάσιμα” Ph.Bel.103.31; “ὀλέθριον” Luc.Herm. 62.

2. healing remedy, medicine, in Hom. mostly of those applied outwardly, “ἐπιθήσει φάρμαχ᾽ ἅ κεν παύσῃσι μελαινάων ὀδυνάων” Il.4.191; ἐπ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἤπια φάρμακα πάσσε ib.218; “ὀδυνήφατα φ. πάσσων” 5.401,900, cf. 11.515,830, 15.394; “προσάλειφεν ἑκάστῳ φ.” Od.10.392; “φ. περιαλείφειν” Ar.Eq.906; also of potions, “πιὼν φάρμακ᾽” Od.10.326; “φ. πεπωκώς” Hdt.4.160, cf. Pi. l. c.; “παρὰ τοῦ ἰατροῦ” Pl.R.406d, cf. Grg.467c; “φ. χριστόν” E.Hipp.516; “ἔγχριστον” Theoc.11.1; “ἐπίχριστον” Str.17.1.10; “ἐπίπαστον” Theoc. l. c.; “καταπλαστόν” Ar.Pl.716; “ποτόν” E.Hipp. l.c.; freq. in Medic. writers, Sor. 1.4, Gal.6.265, etc.; of medicines for cattle, PFlor.222.11 (iii A. D.).

b. c. gen. (v. infr. 11), φ. νόσου a medicine for it, remedy against it, A.Pr.251,606 (lyr.); “βηχός” Phryn.Com.60: κεφαλῆς for a head-ache, Pl.Chrm.155b; “στραγγουρίας” Arist.HA612b16, cf. 624a16; “μέθης” Amphis 37; “δίψης” AP 6.170 (Thyill.); but ὑγιείας φ. a medicine to restore or maintain health, Aristid.Or.37(2).11.

3. enchanted potion, philtre: hence, charm, spell, Od.4.220 sq., Ar.Pl.302, Theoc.2.15, PSI1.64.20 (i B. C.); “φαρμάκοις τὸν ἄνδρ᾽ ἔμηνεν” Ar.Th.561; τοιαῦτα ἔχω φ. such charms have I, Hdt.3.85, cf. Apoc.9.21.

4. poison, S.Tr. 685, E.Med.385; “πιεῖν τὸ φ.” Antipho6.15, Pl.Phd.57a, 115a; “φάρμακα ἐσβεβληκέναι ἐς τὰ φρέατα” Th.2.48; “φ. δηλητήρια” SIG37 A 1 (Teos, v B. C.); “τοξικὸν φ.” BGU21 ii 14 (iv A. D.).

5. lye for laundering, Stud.Pal.22.56.12 (iii A. D.).

II. generally, remedy, cure, Hes.Op.485, Alc.35, etc.; μεῖζον . . τῆς νόσου τὸ φ. the cure too strong for, i. e. worse than, the disease, S.Fr.589.4, cf. Com.Adesp. 455; φ. πραΰ, of a bridle, Pi.O.13.85; φ. τινι for a thing, Thgn. 1134 (pl.), Archil.9; “πρός τι” Arist.Pol.1321a16; “ποττὸν ἔρωτα” Theoc. 11.1; but most freq. φ. τινός remedy against . . “χλαῖνα . . φ. ῥίγευς” Hippon.19; “Ζεὺς πάντων φ. μοῦνος ἔχει” Simon.87; “τὸ σιγᾶν φ. βλάβης ἔχω” A.Ag.548; φ. πόνων, λύπης, E.Ba.283, Fr.1079; δόλοι . . χρείας ἀνάνδρου φ. ib.288; “φόβου” Pl.Lg.647e; λήθης φάρμακα (of γράμματα) E.Fr.578.1; v. εὐδιανός.

2. c. gen. also, a means of producing something, “φ. σωτηρίας” Id.Ph.893; “μνήμης καὶ σοφίας φ.” Pl.Phdr.274e; ὑπομνήσεως ib.275a, cf. 230d; “ἀθανασίας” Antiph.86.6; “ἡσυχίας” Arist.Pol.1273b23; φ. μανίας, of the oil applied to wrestlers, D.L.1.104.

3. ἐπὶ θανάτῳ φ. ἑᾶς ἀρετᾶς εὑρέσθαι a remedy or consolation in his own virtue, Pi.P.4.187.

III. dye, paint, colour, Emp.23.3, Hdt.1.98, A.Fr.134, Ar.Ec.735, Pl.R.420c, Plt.277c, PCair.Zen.789.13 (iii B. C.), etc.

IV. chemical reagent, PLeid.X.25, PHolm.13.46, 22.10, Ps.-Democr. ap. Zos.Alch.p.160 B.; used by tanners, Sch.Ar.Eq.44,368.—Cf. φαρμάσσω. [μα^; but μα_ in φαρμακός.]