a. [ Gr.
n. (Med.) An anacathartic medicine; an expectorant or an emetic. [ archaic ] [ 1913 Webster + AS ]
n. [ Gr. &unr_;. ] (Med.) A medicine that promotes alvine discharges; a purge; a purgative of moderate activity. [ 1913 Webster ]
☞ 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.
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n. [ Gr. &unr_; down + &unr_; serving to purge. See Cathartic. ] (Med.) A remedy that purges by alvine discharges. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. [ Gr. &unr_; vomiting + E. cathartic. ] (Med.) Producing vomiting and purging at the same time.