jalap

[ jal-uhp, jah-luhp ]
See synonyms for jalap on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the dried tuberous root of any of several plants, especially Exogonium purga, of the morning glory family, or the light yellowish powder derived from it, used in medicine chiefly as a purgative.

  2. any of these plants.

Origin of jalap

1
1665–75; <Middle French <Spanish (purga de) Jalapa purgative from Jalapa

Other words from jalap

  • ja·lap·ic [ja-lap-ik, jah-], /dʒæˈlæp ɪk, dʒɑ-/, adjective

Words Nearby jalap

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use jalap in a sentence

  • Brougham needs a dose of jalap instead of pap, for he cannot even spell the 'greatest happiness principle' properly.

  • I told him about the situation in Fisher Hill and how finances was low on account of the local mixture of politics and jalap.

  • I drink his health in a dose of the cheerful beverage known as jalap, and thresh the sheets with my hot hands.

    The Complete Works of Artemus Ward | Charles Farrar Browne (AKA Artemus Ward)
  • This is probably the case with such as Castor-oil, Scammony, and jalap, which are simply cathartic in their action.

    The Action of Medicines in the System | Frederick William Headland
  • The resins of jalap, Scammony, and other such substances, are affirmed to pass out along with them.

    The Action of Medicines in the System | Frederick William Headland

British Dictionary definitions for jalap

jalap

jalop

/ (ˈdʒæləp) /


noun
  1. a Mexican convolvulaceous plant, Exogonium (or Ipomoea) purga

  2. any of several similar or related plants

  1. the dried and powdered root of any of these plants, used as a purgative

  2. the resin obtained from any of these plants

Origin of jalap

1
C17: from French, from Mexican Spanish jalapa, short for purga de Jalapa purgative of Jalapa

Derived forms of jalap

  • jalapic (dʒəˈlæpɪk), adjective

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