Word of the week: philter

[TotallyOz]

Here is the word for this week:

philter \FIL-ter\, noun:

1. A magic potion for any purpose.

2. A potion, charm, or drug supposed to cause the person taking it to fall in love, usually with some specific person.

Tell me now, fairy as you are - can't you give me a charm, or a philter, or something of that sort, to make me a handsome man ? "

-- Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Mariamne had told him it was a love philter and promised a large reward if he would get me to drink it without my knowledge.

-- Michel Tournier, Ralph Manheim, The Four Wise Men

Philter originates from the Greek philtron, "love potion," which itself derives from the Greek philos "love of."

[Guest CharliePS]

The British usually spell it "philtre," which looks more exotic.