castor oil

noun

1. a colorless to pale yellow, viscid liquid, usually obtained from the castor bean by a pressing process: used as a lubricant, in the manufacture of certain soaps and creams, and in medicine chiefly as a cathartic.

castor oil

noun

1. a colourless or yellow glutinous oil obtained from the seeds of the castor-oil plant and used as a fine lubricant and as a cathartic

Word History and Origins

Origin of castor oil¹

1740–50; castor (perhaps variant spelling of caster ) + oil; perhaps so called because of its purgative effect

Example Sentences

“Measuring spoons, castor oil—blech!—a large cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid, moldy apples, goose fat, rinds of cheese...”

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India mainly exports rice, shrimp, honey, vegetable extracts, castor oil and black pepper, while the US sends almonds, walnuts, pistachios, apples and lentils.

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Ricin is a highly toxic poison naturally derived from castor oil plants.

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The modified Arabidopsis overcame metabolic bottlenecks and produced significant amounts of an oil similar to castor oil that it doesn't naturally produce.

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Look for products that contain petroleum jelly, castor oil and glycerin, Rogers said.

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