• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “elixir of life.” It refers to something that seems to preserve youth, health, or vitality, such as a food, habit, relationship, or way of life. Poles use it seriously for genuinely healthy practices and ironically when saying that coffee, wine, or laughter is their secret to a long life.

  Vocabulary

  • eliksir — elixir / potion
  • życie — life (życia = genitive)

  Grammar note

  'Życia' is the genitive of 'życie' (a neuter noun). It is required because 'eliksir' is followed by a genitive noun phrase, 'eliksir czegoś' (elixir of something). The phrase works as a noun and can be used as a description: 'To jest prawdziwy eliksir życia' (This is a true elixir of life).

  Cultural context

  The phrase comes from alchemy and fairy-tale imagery and is used in all registers, from health magazine headlines to everyday jokes. Poles may call their grandmother's soup, mountain air, or a weekly sauna their 'eliksir życia.' It is close to the English 'elixir of life' or 'fountain of youth.'

  Intermediate

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!