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PURGATIVE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A purging medicine; stimulates evacuation of the bowels
Synonyms:
aperient; cathartic; physic; purgative
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("purgative" is a kind of...):
medicament; medication; medicinal drug; medicine ((medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "purgative"):
aloes; bitter aloes (a purgative made from the leaves of aloe)
castor oil (a purgative extracted from the seed of the castor-oil plant; used in paint and varnish as well as medically)
Epsom salts ((used with a singular noun) hydrated magnesium sulfate used as a laxative)
laxative (a mild cathartic)
milk of magnesia (purgative consisting of a milky white liquid suspension of magnesium hydroxide; used as a laxative and (in smaller doses) as an antacid)
Rochelle powder; Seidlitz powder; Seidlitz powders (an effervescing salt containing sodium bicarbonate and Rochelle salt and tartaric acid; used as a cathartic)
Derivation:
purgative (strongly laxative)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Strongly laxative
Synonyms:
cathartic; evacuant; purgative
Classified under:
Similar:
laxative (stimulating evacuation of feces)
Derivation:
purgative (a purging medicine; stimulates evacuation of the bowels)
purge (excrete or evacuate (someone's bowels or body))
