menstruum

[ men-stroo-uhm, -struhm ]

/ ˈmɛn stru əm, -strəm /

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noun, plural men·stru·ums, men·stru·a [men-stroo-uh, -struh]. /ˈmɛn stru ə, -strə/.

a solvent.

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Origin of menstruum

First recorded in 1350–1400; special use of Middle English menstruum “monthly period,” from Medieval Latin, from Latin (usually in plural mēnstrua); see menstrual,moon

Words nearby menstruum

menstrual period, menstruant, menstruate, menstruation, menstruous, menstruum, mensurable, mensural, mensural music, mensural notation, mensuration

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use menstruum in a sentence

Some parties have recommended quince juice as the menstruum.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
The next most general correspondence is that between individual bodies and those which supply them by way of menstruum or support.
Novum Organum|Francis Bacon
It is not durable, but soon changes in the menstruum into metallic gold, and peroxide.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
These colloids appear to be separated by amyl alcohol in virtue of their greater solubility in that menstruum.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 711, August 17, 1889|Various

The statements in this book regarding alcohol content are approximate and are based on the alcohol contents of the menstruum used.
Epitome of the Pharmacopeia of the United States and the National Formulary|A. W. Hewlett

British Dictionary definitions for menstruum

menstruum

/ (ˈmɛnstrʊəm) /

noun plural -struums or -strua (-strʊə) obsolete

a solvent, esp one used in the preparation of a drug

a solid formulation of a drug

Word Origin for menstruum

C17 (meaning: solvent), C14 (menstrual discharge): from Medieval Latin, from Latin mēnstruus monthly, from mēnsis month; from an alchemical comparison between a base metal being transmuted into gold and the supposed action of the menses

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

Medical definitions for menstruum

menstruum

[ mĕn′strōō-əm ]

n. pl. men•stru•ums

A solvent, especially one used in extracting compounds from plant and animal tissues and preparing drugs.