opodeldoc
Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. (noun) A saponaceous camphorated liniment; a solution of soap in alcohol with the addition of camphor and essential oils: hence sometimes called soap-liniment.
- n. (noun) A plaster said to have been invented by Mindererus.
The word 'opodeldoc' may be derived from three other words with Greek origins: opopanax, 'a gum resin obtained from the root of Opopanax chironium, formerly used in medicine'; bdellium, 'an aromatic gum resin similar to myrrh'; and aristolochia, also known as 'birthwort,' a plant 'used as a folk medicine to aid childbirth.'
Examples
“You mustn't believe all that fellow Greyson tells you: he wants me to take salts and senna, opodeldoc, and all that sort of stuff; looks after his bill, you know — eh? like all the rest of you.”
“The cramps of the legs, etc., in pregnancy, caused by the pressure of the enlarged womb on the nerves, are often troublesome, but not attended with any danger, and may be speedily relieved by a change of posture, and friction, or rubbing with opodeldoc, spirits of camphor, or hot whisky and salt.”
The Ladies Book of Useful Information Compiled from many sources
“He then begged me to bathe his back with camphor and opodeldoc, and although I knew the operation would produce no effect, I consented to his wishes, and for more than an hour rubbed his back as he desired, and bathed his head with vinegar and lime juice.”
