*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dose

Borrowed from Middle French dose, from Late Latin dosis, from Ancient Greek δόσις (dósis, “a portion prescribed”, literally “a giving”), used by Galen and other Greek physicians to mean an amount of medicine, from δίδωμι

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To administer a dose (of medicine) to. · To prescribe a dose. · To surreptitiously administer a dose of an incapacitating drug (to an unwilling subject); to roofie. · To transmit a venereal disease to.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Middle French dose, from Late Latin dosis, from Ancient Greek δόσις (dósis, “a portion prescribed”, literally “a giving”), used by Galen and other Greek physicians to mean an amount of medicine, from δίδωμι (dídōmi, “to give”). Mostly displaced English drench. Doublet of doos.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*deh₃-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "dose"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Middle French dose"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "dosis"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin dosis"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "δόσις",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a portion prescribed",
        "lit": "a giving"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek δόσις (dósis, “a portion prescribed”, literally “a giving”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "drench"
      },
      "expansion": "English drench"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "doos"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of doos"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dose",
      "dose#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "dosis",
      "dosis#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "δόσις",
      "δόσις#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "δίδωμι",
      "δίδωμι#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "drench",
      "drench#English"
    ],
    [
      "doos",
      "doos#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To administer a dose (of medicine) to.",
        "To prescribe a dose.",
        "To surreptitiously administer a dose of an incapacitating drug (to an unwilling subject); to roofie.",
        "To transmit a venereal disease to."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "dated"
      ],
      "recordId": "1f9ff537b8a077b34473d6d8bfdbb2fefeb205b2e0156ff9615b55e61cdf3569",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1f8617f2f47bbb47e67dc4348096917a4fed90f3e9ab82c3730ad212692ccb7d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 212451
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A measured portion of medicine taken at any one time. · The quantity of an agent (not always active), substance, or radiation administered or experienced at any one time. · Anything disagreeable that must be taken. · A good measure or lengthy experience of something.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Middle French dose, from Late Latin dosis, from Ancient Greek δόσις (dósis, “a portion prescribed”, literally “a giving”), used by Galen and other Greek physicians to mean an amount of medicine, from δίδωμι (dídōmi, “to give”). Mostly displaced English drench. Doublet of doos.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*deh₃-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "dose"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Middle French dose"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "dosis"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin dosis"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "δόσις",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a portion prescribed",
        "lit": "a giving"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek δόσις (dósis, “a portion prescribed”, literally “a giving”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "drench"
      },
      "expansion": "English drench"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "doos"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of doos"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dose",
      "dose#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "dosis",
      "dosis#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "δόσις",
      "δόσις#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "δίδωμι",
      "δίδωμι#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "drench",
      "drench#English"
    ],
    [
      "doos",
      "doos#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Malay",
      "lang_code": "ms",
      "word": "dos",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Tamil",
      "lang_code": "ta",
      "word": "டோஸ்",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "ṭōs"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A measured portion of medicine taken at any one time.",
        "The quantity of an agent (not always active), substance, or radiation administered or experienced at any one time.",
        "Anything disagreeable that must be taken.",
        "A good measure or lengthy experience of something."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "figuratively"
      ],
      "recordId": "6a287b9bb148cda24ad6299fe998d1896167a05c44287543592f8db771189647",
      "rawRecordSha256": "349e4fdd3c8baf76945c80737a4e137dde0b9f8c3fa313a3b74ff9a34258270f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 212450
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 2,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for dose →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZG9zZQ