an old term, in Pharmacy; an antidote, or composition, in form of an electuary, sup- posed to serve either as a remedy or a preservative a- gainst poisons. It takes its name from the inventor, Mithridates king of Pontus, who is said to have so for- tified his body against poisons with antidotes and prefer- atives, that when he had a mind to dispatch himself, he could not find any poison that would take effect.