aperient

[ uh-peer-ee-uh nt ]

/ əˈpɪər i ənt /

Medicine/Medical

SEE SYNONYMS FOR aperient ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having a mild purgative or laxative effect.

noun

a medicine or food that acts as a mild laxative.

Words nearby aperient

apellous, apeman, apennine mountains, apennines, apepi, aperient, aperiodic, aperistalsis, aperitive, apert's syndrome, apert-crouzon syndrome

Origin of aperient

1620–30; < Latin aperient- (stem of aperiēns opening, present participle of aperīre to open), equivalent to aperi- (apparently ap-, variant of ab- ab- + -eri-) + -ent- -ent; the base -eri-, perhaps with an earlier shape *wery- or *twery-, occurs only in this verb and operīre to close (see cover, operculum)

Also called aperitive.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for aperient

The roots of asparagus were formerly used as an aperient medicine, and the fruits were likewise employed as a diuretic.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7|Various
She took three spoonfuls of an aperient decoction of forty-five grains in six ounces and a half, every other morning.
An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses|William Withering
She was then put upon the use of aperient medicines and tonics, and on the first of August was discharged perfectly cured.
An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses|William Withering
A good stomachic and aperient pill, but possessing none of the extraordinary virtues ascribed to it by its proprietors.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley

A warm stomachic and diaphoretic; and, in large doses, aperient.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for aperient

aperient

/ (əˈpɪərɪənt) med /

adjective

laxative

noun

a mild laxative

Word Origin for aperient

C17: from Latin aperīre to open

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

aperient

adjective

noun

Words related to aperient

Words nearby aperient

Origin of aperient

Examples from the Web for aperient

British Dictionary definitions for aperient

adjective

noun

Word Origin for aperient