hydragogue

[ hahy-druh-gawg, -gog ]

/ ˈhaɪ drəˌgɔg, -ˌgɒg /

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adjective

causing the discharge of watery fluid, as from the bowels.

noun

Also hy·dra·gog .Pharmacology. a hydragogue agent.

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Origin of hydragogue

1630–40; <Latin hydragōgus<Greek hydragōgós water-conveying, equivalent to hydr-hydr-¹ + agōgós leading, guiding (see -agogue)

Words nearby hydragogue

hydnocarpate, hydnocarpic acid, hydr-, hydra, hydracid, hydragogue, hydra-headed, hydralazine, hydramine, hydrangea, hydrant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hydragogue in a sentence

Used as a drastic hydragogue in dropsies; and in scrofula, &c.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
The seeds contain an oil that is official in all Pharmacopœias as one of the most powerful hydragogue cathartics.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines|T. H. Pardo de Tavera
Cathartics, especially those of a hydragogue nature, are also very beneficial.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
It is the most active hydragogue purgative known, causing also much depression and violent griping.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 2|Various

Gamboge (Cambogia) is a drastic hydragogue cathartic, causing much griping and irritation of the intestine.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 4|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hydragogue

hydragogue

/ (ˈhaɪdrəˌɡɒɡ) /

noun

med any purgative that causes evacuation of water from the bowels

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