philtre | philter, n.
[‘ A potion, drug, or (occas.) charm supposed to be capable of exciting sexual attraction or love, esp. towards a particular person; a love potion. Also, more generally: any potion or drug having supposedly magical properties. Also fig.’]
Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈfɪltə/, U.S. /ˈfɪltər/
Forms: 15– philter, 15– philtre, 16 18 filtre.
Etymology: < Middle French, French philtre (1381 in sense 1; 1611 in sense 2 (now obsolete in this sense); also as †filtre (17th–19th cent. in sense 1) < classical Latin philtrum philtrum n. Compare Spanish filtro (1549 in sense 1; also as philtro), Portuguese filtro (16th cent. in sense 1), Italian filtro (1598 as philtro in senses 1 and 2). With sense 2 compare slightly earlier philtrum n. 2.
1. A potion, drug, or (occas.) charm supposed to be capable of exciting sexual attraction or love, esp. towards a particular person; a love potion. Also, more generally: any potion or drug having supposedly magical properties. Also fig.?a1563 W. Baldwin Beware Cat (1584) ii. sig. Ciii, To make a Philtre to serue for my purpose.
1586 T. Newton Tryall Mans Owne Selfe 91 By any secret sleight or cunning, as drinkes, drouges, medicines, charmed potions, amatorious Philters, figures, characters, or any such lyke paltring instruments, deuises or practises.
1616 B. Jonson Epicœne iv. i, in Wks. I. 567 Trv...If I should make ‘hem all in loue with thee afore night! Dav. I would say thou had’st the best philtre.
a1618 J. Sylvester tr. Fracastorius Maidens Blush (1620) sig. C5v, The hellish Philtree made of Stygian Wave.
1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy i. ii. i. iii. 72 They can make friends enemies, and enemies friends, by philters.
1686 F. Fane Sacrifice i. ii. 28 Good Gods, what Charms! Her very Frowns are Philtres.
1700 S. L. tr. C. Schweitzer Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 347, I threw all over-board, for fear some trick or philter should have been play’d with them.
1731 E. Thomas Pylades & Corinna 273 Those called Witches..do secretly..learn strange poisoned Philters and Receipts, whereby they do much Hurt and Mischief.
1788 S. Low Politician Out-Witted ii. i. 16 Why you are positively the arrantest love-sick swain that ever had recourse to a philter.
1805 R. Southey Madoc i. i. 6 Some philtre..to lethargy The Briton blood, that came from Owen’s veins.
1830 T. Flint Shoshone Valley I. vi. 211 She spoke of philtres and medicated drinks, that..she had been taught..were of potency to inspire corresponding love in the man or maiden, who should drink of them.
1868 Tennyson Lucretius 16 A witch Who brew’d the philtre.
1900 J. Conrad Lord Jim iii. 20 They carried his soul away with them and made it drunk with the divine philtre of an unbounded confidence in itself.
1936 Amer. Home Feb. 42/1 Cloves were used by the Persians, Greeks, and Romans as the base of many of their love philters.
1989 W. Weaver tr. U. Eco Foucault’s Pendulum xxxvi. 231 When you feel that need, you have to watch your step: like having drunk a philter, the kind that makes you fall in love with the first thing you meet.
2002 N. Drury Dict. Esoteric 218/1 Monkshood was used by medieval witches in flying ointments and ‘love philtres’, but is one of the most poisonous and dangerous of all magical herbs.
†2. = philtrum n. 2. Obs. rare—0.
[categories words, OED]