Greek for 'counter-gift' — a remedy literally given against a poison, from the same root as 'donate.'
A medicine or other remedy taken to counteract the effects of a poison; anything that counteracts an unpleasant feeling or situation.
From Latin antidotum, from Greek antídoton (phármakon) meaning (remedy) given against, neuter of antídotos (given as a counter-measure), from antí (against, opposite) + dotón (given), the verbal adjective of dídōmi (I give), from PIE *deh₃- (to give). The PIE root *deh₃- is one of the foundational roots of gift and exchange: Latin dare (to give) produced dose, donate, pardon, render, and data; Greek dídōmi produced dose and anecdote (literally un-given, unpublished — a private story not yet given out). The prefix antí (against, opposite, in place of) is from PIE *h₂enti (facing
An antidote is literally a 'counter-gift' — Greek 'anti' (against) plus 'doton' (given). The same Greek root 'didonai' (to give) produced 'dose' (a given amount), 'anecdote' (originally 'unpublished things' — 'an-' + 'ekdoton,' not given out), and even 'date' the fruit, from Greek 'daktylos' (finger, date palm) through a folk-etymological connection with 'doron' (gift). King Mithridates VI of Pontus famously consumed small amounts