electuary

[ih-lek-choo-er-ee]

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.

Nearby words

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for electuary

Electuary, e-lek′tū-ar-i, n. a composition of medicinal powders with honey or sugar.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various
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
Then unto him the rich man sent an electuary of gold and silver, and straightway he was cured.
A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume III|Henry Charles Lea
But the rich man sent him an electuary of gold and silver, and he was immediately made whole.
A History of Caricature and Grotesque|Thomas Wright

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

British Dictionary definitions for electuary

electuary

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

Medicine definitions for electuary

electuary

[ĭ-lĕk′chōō-ĕr′ē]

n.

confection