colocynth
Americannoun
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a plant, Citrullus colocynthis, belonging to the gourd family, of the warmer parts of Asia, the Mediterranean region, etc., bearing a round, yellow or green fruit with a bitter pulp.
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the fruit of this plant.
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Pharmacology. the drug derived from the pulp of the unripe but full-grown fruit of this plant, used in medicine chiefly as a purgative.
noun
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a cucurbitaceous climbing plant, Citrullus colocynthis, of the Mediterranean region and Asia, having bitter-tasting fruit
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the dried fruit pulp of this plant, used as a strong purgative
Etymology
Origin of colocynth
1555–65; < Latin colocynthis < Greek kolokynthís, variant of kolókyntha bitter gourd, bitter cucumber
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dose, of the extract, from five to fifteen grains; of the compound extract, from five to fifteen grains; of the compound colocynth pill, the best of all its preparations, from ten to twenty grains.
From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous
Only the zizyphus lotus, from whose branches little white snails hung like flowers, seemed to find real nourishment in the dry ground, though colocynth and wild lavender were to be seen now and again.
From Morocco by A. S. (Archibald Stevenson) Forrest
One of the honey-eaters, the diet of which ranges from nectar to the juice of one of the native cucumbers, as bitter as colocynth, has become an ardent advocate for the thorough ripening of bananas.
From Tropic Days by E. J. (Edmund James) Banfield
Mixed with equal parts of colocynth it is applied to carbuncles.
From The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by Jerome Beers Thomas
Calomel, ten grains; Castile soap, extract of jalap, extract of colocynth, of each one scruple; oil of juniper, five drops: make into fifteen pills; one three times a day.
From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous
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