Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An enema.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An enema; an injection.
- To administer a rectal injection: same as clysterize.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A liquid injected into the lower intestines by means of a syringe; an injection; an enema.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an injection of a liquid through the anus to stimulate evacuation; sometimes used for diagnostic purposes
Etymologies
- Middle English clister, from Old French clistere, from Latin clyster, from Greek klustēr, clyster pipe, from kluzein, to wash out.
Examples
“Curious to say the clyster is almost unknown to the people of Hindostan although the barbarous West Africans use it daily to “wash ‘um belly,” as the Bonney-men say.”
“Put a pair of bellows end into a clyster pipe, and applying it into the fundament, open the bowels, so draw forth the wind, natura non admittit vacuum.”
“For without question, a clyster opportunely used, cannot choose in this, as most other maladies, but to do very much good; Clysteres nutriunt, sometimes clysters nourish, as they may be prepared, as I was informed not long since by a learned lecture of our natural philosophy [4278] reader, which he handled by way of discourse, out of some other noted physicians.”
“Walter Bruel would have a practitioner begin first with a clyster of his, which he prescribes before bloodletting: the common sort, as Mercurialis, Montaltus cap.”
“On the second day all the symptoms were exacerbated; late in the evening had a proper stool from a small clyster; the night quiet.”
“On the sixth, in the morning, in a quiet state; in the evening the pains greater; had a paroxysm; in the evening the bowels properly opened by a small clyster; slept at night.”
“On the sixteenth, looseness of the bowels from a stimulant clyster; afterwards she passed her drink, nor could retain anything, for she was completely insensible; skin parched and tense.”
“But if the bowels appear to be constipated, administer a soothing clyster.”
“To a person in such a state give to drink water and as much boiled hydromel of a watery consistence as he will take; and if the mouth be bitter, it may be advantageous to administer an emetic and clyster; and if these things do not loosen the bowels, purge with the boiled milk of asses.”
“When the flatus is offensive, either a suppository or clyster is to be administered; but otherwise the oxymel is to be discontinued, until the matters descend to the lower part of the bowels, and then they are to be evacuated by a clyster.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘clyster’.
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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Steroids
Nouns that end in "ster". The -er suffix (as in blaster) doesn't count.
hamster, filibuster, aster, master, mister, baluster, banister, barrister, monster, plaster, semester, bister and 56 more...
ruzuzu See tappen. Feb 28, 2011
pallanea Encountered this while reading The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon. Sep 10, 2009
laiane Encountered this word in Dan Simmons' novel Drood Jun 27, 2009
chained_bear Bilbies!
(*confused*) Sep 10, 2008
bilby Bears! Sep 10, 2008
chained_bear *guffaw* Sep 10, 2008
Prolagus 0_o Sep 10, 2008
chained_bear I love definition 3 best of all. Jul 10, 2008
sionnach 1. A medicine injected into the rectum, to empty or cleanse the bowels, to afford nutrition, etc.; an injection, enema; sometimes, a suppository; an old term for enema.
2. The pipe or syringe used in injection; a clyster-pipe.
3. A contemptuous name for a medical practitioner. Jul 10, 2008