Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. See poultice.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In medicine, a soft and moist substance to be applied to some part of the body; a poultice.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A soft and moist substance applied externally to some part of the body; a poultice.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a medical dressing consisting of a soft heated mass of meal or clay that is spread on a cloth and applied to the skin to treat inflamed areas or improve circulation etc.
Etymologies
- Middle English cathaplasma and French cataplasme, both from Latin cataplasma, from Greek kataplasma, from kataplassein, to plaster over : kata-, down, onto, over; see cata- + plassein, to mold, form; see plasma.
Examples
“The clay cataplasm (that the vet authorized!) is working, along with the antibiotics.”
“The clay cataplasm that the vet authorized! is working, along with the antibiotics.”
“Quote of the Day: "But Alexia, this is a cataplasm of epic proportions!”
“Another: Having scraped off the rind of the most tender roots of the wild vine, which some call psilothrion, boil in a dark austere wine undiluted; then having pounded, apply as a tepid cataplasm; but mix also flour and stir it up with white wine and oil in a tepid state.”
“Another: - Having bruised the inner part of a ripe cucumber to a soft state, apply as a cataplasm.”
“But if it be inflamed, having boiled in water the root of me ivy, finely powdered, and mixing the finest flour, and stirring it up with white wine, apply as a cataplasm, and mix up some fat with these things.”
“Another: - Having pounded the seed of hemlock, pour on it a fragrant white wine, and then apply in a tepid state as a cataplasm.”
“Egyptian alum pulverized, form into an oblong ball (suppository?) and warming it gently at the fire, make it into a cataplasm, foment, form it into shape with the fingers, and then making it quite tepid, introduce it into the anus.”
“If procidentia ani be attended with a discharge of blood, pare off the rind of the root of wakerobin, then pound and mix flour with it, and apply it warm as a cataplasm.”
“The external parts are to be anointed with cerate, and a cataplasm of boiled garlic, with dark wine diluted, is to be applied.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘cataplasm’.
hernesheir See malagma, another "a"-monovocalic word of similar meaning. Dec 17, 2010
knitandpurl "Hassan asks that a shaman abstract a talc cataplasm that can thwart a blatant rash (raw scars that can scar a man's scalp and gall a man's glans: scratch, scratch)."
Eunoia by Christian Bök (upgraded edition), p 30 May 19, 2010
bilby No kittens were harmed in the making of this word. Oct 4, 2008
yarb "By midnight Reardon lay in a comfortable room, a huge cataplasm fixed upon him, and other needful arrangements made."
- George Gissing, New Grub Street. Jan 30, 2008