vermifuge

American  

[vur-muh-fyooj] / ˈvɜr məˌfjudʒ /

adjective

1. serving to expel worms or other animal parasites from the intestines, as a medicine.

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noun

1. a vermifuge medicine or agent.

vermifuge British  

/ ˌvɜːmɪˈfjuːɡəl, ˈvɜːmɪˌfjuːdʒ /

noun

1. any drug or agent able to destroy or expel intestinal worms; an anthelmintic

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Other Word Forms

• vermifugal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of vermifuge

First recorded in 1690–1700; vermi- + -fuge

Example Sentences

In a dingy courtroom stinking of vermifuge, at Mays Landing, N. J., last week, two petty criminals stood before the bar of justice.

From Time Magazine Archive

He remembered hearing that vermifuge cures dogs of the "fits" and he saw no reason why it should not work on humans.

From Time Magazine Archive

When the horse can be spared, a strong dose of physic is an excellent vermifuge, so far as the long round worm is concerned.

From Domestic Animals History and description of the horse, mule, cattle, sheep, swine, poultry and farm dogs; with directions for their management, breeding, crossing, rearing, feeding, and preparation for a profitable market; also their diseases and remedies. Together with full directions for the management of the dairy. by Allen, Richard L.

Big boxes containing bottles of the stomach bitters, smaller boxes containing pills and vermifuge were received.

From Watch Yourself Go By by Warden, Ben W.

From these circumstances, we should be led to conclude, that its efficacy as a vermifuge defends either upon its narcotic properties, or upon its sudden and powerful effect as a cathartic.

From A Dissertation on the Medical Properties and Injurious Effects of the Habitual Use of Tobacco by Stuart, Moses