“Philter” entered English in the 18th century through the Middle French “philtre,” also meaning “love potion.” However, the original basis for the word is the ancient Greek “phíltron,” meaning “love charm.” In Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the mischievous sprite Puck applies a philter to the eyes of sleeping fairy queen Titania. The proud and serious Titania wakes and falls desperately in love with the first living thing she sees: Nick Bottom, a weaver whose head Puck has turned into that of a donkey.