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hepatic

[hi-pat-ik]
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adjective
  1. of or relating to the liver.
  2. acting on the liver, as a medicine.
  3. liver-colored; dark reddish-brown.
  4. Botany. belonging or pertaining to the liverworts.
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noun
  1. a medicine acting on the liver.
  2. a liverwort.
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Origin of hepatic

1350–1400; Middle English epatik ≪ Latin hēpaticus < Greek hēpatikós. See hepato-, -ic
Related formsnon·he·pat·ic, adjective, nounpost·he·pat·ic, adjectivesub·he·pat·ic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for hepatic

Historical Examples

  • They appear, he might argue, to have been especially subject to hepatic diseases.

    Magic and Religion

    Andrew Lang

  • Jaundice is often caused by an obstruction in the hepatic ducts.

    The Action of Medicines in the System

    Frederick William Headland

  • It is applicable in cardiac dropsy as well as in hepatic cases.

    The Action of Medicines in the System

    Frederick William Headland

  • The bark of the root is used in medicine as a hepatic stimulant.

    Trees of Indiana

    Charles Clemon Deam

  • Such a case will then present the phenomena of hepatic abscess.

British Dictionary definitions for hepatic

hepatic

adjective
  1. of or relating to the liver
  2. botany of or relating to the liverworts
  3. having the colour of liver
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noun
  1. obsolete any of various drugs for use in treating diseases of the liver
  2. a less common name for a liverwort
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Word Origin

C15: from Latin hēpaticus, from Greek hēpar liver
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

Word Origin and History for hepatic

adj.

late 14c., epatike, from Old French hepatique or directly from Latin hepaticus "pertaining to the liver," from Greek hepatikos, from hepar (genitive hepatos) "liver" (see hepatitis). As a noun, "medicine for the liver," from late 15c.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
hepatic in Medicine

hepatic

(hĭ-păt′ĭk)
adj.
  1. Of, relating to, or resembling the liver.
  2. Acting on or occurring in the liver.
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n.
  1. A drug that acts on the liver.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
hepatic in Science

hepatic

[hĭ-păt′ĭk]
  1. Relating to or involving the liver.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.