ointment

[ oint-muhnt ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a soft, unctuous preparation, often medicated, for application to the skin; unguent.

   Synonyms: nard, balm, salve

ointment

/ ˈɔɪntmənt /

noun

1. a fatty or oily medicated formulation applied to the skin to heal or protect
2. a similar substance used as a cosmetic

Word History and Origins

Origin of ointment¹

1250–1300; obsolete oint (aphetic variant of anoint ) + -ment; replacing Middle English oignement < Old French < Vulgar Latin *unguimentum for Latin unguentum; unguent

Word History and Origins

Origin of ointment¹

C14: from Old French oignement, from Latin unguentum unguent

Idioms and Phrases

see fly in the ointment .

Example Sentences

Daniel takes testosterone through injections, but the hormone can also be absorbed via skin ointment or a patch.

From Science News

The fly in the ointment is the potential return of showers on Sunday.

From Washington Post

They were a small ointment for the open, latent and bleeding wound that Louisiana was giving me.

From Washington Blade

Aikey has been administering three different eye drops four times a day, along with eye ointment and thyroid pills twice daily.

From Time

A screechy bug in the ointment — but it’s not a biggieCurrently, the entry form for Week 1435, the contest to make funny art with at least one real cicada or nymph casing — is not transmitting photos properly.

From Washington Post

John McCormack has been the dogged fly in the ointment here.

From The Daily Beast

This means not being the fly in the ointment of peace talks.

From The Daily Beast

Hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes—the inevitable fly in the ointment of any big new liberal idea.

From The Daily Beast

The flaw in Gaga's ointment too was is in part that she was upstaged by Kanye.

From The Daily Beast

And thou hast adorned thyself for the king with ointment, and hast multiplied thy perfumes.

From Project Gutenberg

Thou sattest on a very fine bed, and a table was decked before thee: whereupon thou didst set my incense, and my ointment.

From Project Gutenberg

So even here there were flies in every ointment, and no dream of perfection could remain unchallenged.

From Project Gutenberg

As to the numb feeling in one's feet, one never has time to rub oneself over with Bengue's ointment.

From Project Gutenberg

Evidently this imposingly named product is practically a lanolin ointment containing oil of wintergreen and menthol.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• balm
• lotion
• salve