Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
Dortmund
dory (1)
dory (2)
DOS
dos-à-dos
dosa
dosage
dosai
dose
dosemeter
dosh
dosimeter
doss
dossal
dosser
dosshouse
dossier
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "dose" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

dose

dose [ dōss ]


noun  (plural dos·es)
Definition:
 
1. prescribed amount of medication: a measured quantity of medication administered once or at specific intervals

2. exposure to radiation: the amount of radiation to which somebody or something is exposed during a specific time, either accidentally or as part of an experiment or medical treatment

3. extra ingredient: an additional ingredient such as syrup added to wine to fortify it

4. venereal disease: an infection with a sexually transmitted disease ( slang )



transitive verb  (past and past participle dosed, present participle dos·ing, 3rd person present singular dos·es)
Definition:
 
1. give medicine to somebody: to administer medication to somebody
I've been dosing myself up with flu remedies all week.

2. measure out medication: to prescribe or administer the required amount of medication

3. add ingredient to something: to add an extra ingredient to something

[15th century. Via French< Greek dosis "prescribed portion" < didonai "give"]

in small doses no more than a little at a time (informal)
I can take their music only in small doses.


Advertisement

Also on Encarta
Englishtown: Learn English online
Our Partners
Also on MSN
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
Shopping
© 2009 Microsoft