cantharides

American  

[kan-thar-i-deez] / kænˈθær ɪˌdiz /

plural noun

singular

cantharis

1. Spanish fly.

2. cantharis. Spanish fly.

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cantharides British  

/ kænˈθærɪˌdiːz /

plural noun

1. Also called: Spanish fly.  a diuretic and urogenital stimulant or irritant prepared from the dried bodies of Spanish fly (family Meloidae, not Cantharidae ), once thought to be an aphrodisiac

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Etymology

Origin of cantharides

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin, plural of cantharis < Greek kantharís blister fly

Example Sentences

In rare cases either albumen or sugar has been detected; the former may have been due to the action of blisters of cantharides used in the treatment of the disease.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various

It is very rich in cantharidin, yielding fully twice as much as ordinary cantharides.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2 "Camorra" to "Cape Colony" by Various

Inverted motions of the urinary lymphatics are reclaimed by cantharides, turpentine, rosin, the sorbentia, and opium, with calcareous earth, and earth of alum, by oil externally, warm-bath.

From Zoonomia, Vol. II Or, the Laws of Organic Life by Darwin, Erasmus

What are the singular forms of cantharides, ph�nomena, and data?

From A Handbook of the English Language by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)

Their smart upon the mind is like cantharides on the skin but often requires something more than a cabbage leaf and cerate to heal it.

From Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution by Judson, L. Carroll