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dose (dōs)
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n.
1.
a. A specified quantity of a therapeutic agent, such as medicine, prescribed to be taken at one time or at stated intervals.
b. The amount of radiation administered as therapy to a given site.
2. An ingredient added, especially to wine, to impart flavor or strength.
3. An amount, especially of something unpleasant, to which one is subjected: a dose of hard luck.
4. Slang A venereal infection.
tr.v. dosed, dos·ing, dos·es
1. To give (someone) a dose, as of medicine.
2. To give or prescribe (medicine) in specified amounts.

[French, from Late Latin dosis, from Greek, something given, from didonai, to give; see dō- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

doser n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.