definitions

croton oil

|

noun

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

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Nearby words

crotchet, crotchety, crotchwood, croton, croton bug, croton oil, crotonaldehyde, crotonbug, crotone, crotonic acid, crotonism

Origin of croton oil

First recorded in 1870–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for croton oil

  • 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

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

    The Secret Service.|Albert D. Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for croton oil

croton oil

noun

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