Thesaurus: cathartic

Related headwords

Definitions

1. a. Alt. of Catharical
2. n. A medicine that promotes alvine discharges; a purge; a purgative of moderate activity.
3. adj. emotionally purging
4. adj. emotionally purging (of e.g. art)
5. adj. strongly laxative
6. n. a purging medicine; stimulates evacuation of the bowels
7. 1. (Med.) Cleansing the bowels; promoting evacuations by stool; purgative. 2. Of or pertaining to the purgative principle of senna, as cathartic acid. A medicine that promotes alvine discharges; a purge; a purgative of moderate activity. Note: The cathartics are more energetic and certain in action that the laxatives, which simply increase the tendency to alvine evacuation; and less powerful and irritaint that the drastic purges, which cause profuse, repeated, and watery evacuations. -- Ca*thar"tic*al*ly, adv. -- Ca*thar"tic*al*ness, n.
8. A medicine that promotes alvine discharges; a purge; apurgative of moderate activity.
9. j:100 s. emotionally purging s. emotionally purging (of e.g. art) s. strongly laxative