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croton oil

noun
  1. a brownish-yellow oil, expressed from the seeds of the croton, Croton tiglium, that is a drastic purgative and counterirritant.
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Origin of croton oil

First recorded in 1870–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for croton oil

Historical Examples of croton oil

  • Then he tried the croton-oil, and in ten days he was again under the old flag.

    The Secret Service.

    Albert D. Richardson

  • Some oils are active poisons, such as croton-oil, which is the most powerful physic known.

    Encyclopedia of Diet

    Eugene Christian

  • A considerable number of prisoners smeared their faces with croton-oil to produce eruptions.

    The Secret Service.

    Albert D. Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for croton oil

croton oil

noun
  1. a yellowish-brown oil obtained from the plant Croton tiglium, formerly used as a drastic purgativeSee also croton (def. 1)
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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