n. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to bring down or raze; &unr_; down + &unr_; to take. ] (Med.) A mild kind caustic used to reduce warts and other excrescences. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]
[ So called from St. Catherine of Alexandria, who is represented with a wheel, in allusion to her martyrdom. ]