laxative

[ lak-suh-tiv ]

/ ˈlæk sə tɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR laxative ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a medicine or agent for relieving constipation.

adjective

of, relating to, or constituting a laxative; purgative.

Archaic.

(of the bowels) subject to looseness.
(of a disease) characterized by looseness of the bowels.

RELATED WORDS

cathartic, purgative

Nearby words

lawyer's wig, lawyering, lax, laxalt, laxation, laxative, laxity, laxness, lay, lay a finger on, lay a wager

Origin of laxative

1350–1400; Middle English laxatif (< Middle French) < Medieval Latin laxātīvus loosening (see laxation, -ive)

Related forms

lax·a·tive·ly, adverblax·a·tive·ness, noun

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

Examples from the Web for laxative

And around 1817, Randel, who seemed to be having liver trouble, received large doses of mercury as a laxative.
The Manhattan Project: The Legacy of John Randel Jr.|Kevin Canfield|February 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Bruni candidly writes of his weight struggles, which included bulimia, laxative abuse, and junk-food binges.
Frank Bruni Revealed|Nicki Gostin|August 18, 2009|DAILY BEAST
If one or two tablespoonfuls are taken at night and before breakfast, it may act as a laxative.
Dietetics for Nurses|Fairfax T. Proudfit
The habitual use of cathartic and laxative drugs is most unwise, because they tend to aggravate the trouble.
American Red Cross Text-Book on Home Hygiene and Care of the Sick|Jane A. Delano

Administered to invalids it is cooling, refreshing, and laxative.
British Pomology|Robert Hogg
It is not very powerful in its action; its effect upon the system being quite as much alterative as laxative.
The Dog|Dinks, Mayhew, and Hutchinson
Foods should possess sufficient bulk to promote the action of the intestines and should contain a due amount of laxative elements.
How to Live|Irving Fisher and Eugene Fisk

British Dictionary definitions for laxative

laxative

/ (ˈlæksətɪv) /

noun

an agent stimulating evacuation of faeces

adjective

stimulating evacuation of faeces

Word Origin for laxative

C14 (originally: relaxing): from Medieval Latin laxātīvus, from Latin laxāre to loosen

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 laxative

laxative

[ lăk′sə-tĭv ]

n.

A food or drug that stimulates evacuation of the bowels.

adj.

Stimulating evacuation of the bowels.