electuary

[ ih-lek-choo-er-ee ]

/ ɪˈlɛk tʃuˌɛr i /

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noun, plural e·lec·tu·ar·ies.Pharmacology, Veterinary Medicine.

a pasty mass composed of a medicine, usually in powder form, mixed in a palatable medium, as syrup, honey, or other sweet substance: used especially for animals and administered by application to the teeth, tongue, or gums.

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Origin of electuary

1350–1400; Middle English electuarie<Late Latin elect(u)ārium a medicinal lozenge, alteration (by confusion with Latin ēlēctus (adj.) choice, good quality, ēlēctus (noun) choice) of Greek ekleiktón lozenge (neuter verbal adjective of ekleíchein to lick up; ek-ec- + leíchein to lick); see -ary

Words nearby electuary

electroweak force, electroweak interaction, electroweak theory, electrowinning, electrum, electuary, eleemosynary, elegance, elegancy, elegant, elegiac

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How to use electuary in a sentence

What an electuary found my father out for his daughter, when hee compounded you two my women?
The Fatal Dowry|Philip Massinger
This evening Mr. Hollyard sends me an electuary to take (a walnut quantity of it) going to bed, which I did.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete|Samuel Pepys
Let her take aromatic electuary, disatyrion and candied eringo roots, every morning.
The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher|Anonymous
It was enclosed in a gallipot, and was what I believe they called an electuary.
The House by the Church-Yard|J. Sheridan Le Fanu

They are used in the form of an electuary triturated to the proper consistency with honey or syrup.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines|T. H. Pardo de Tavera

British Dictionary definitions for electuary

electuary

/ (ɪˈlɛktjʊərɪ) /

noun plural -aries

archaic a paste taken orally, containing a drug mixed with syrup or honey

Word Origin for electuary

C14: from Late Latin ēlēctuārium, probably from Greek ēkleikton electuary, from ekleikhein to lick out, from leikhein to lick

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