ointment
Americannoun
noun
-
a fatty or oily medicated formulation applied to the skin to heal or protect
-
a similar substance used as a cosmetic
Etymology
Origin of ointment
1250–1300; obsolete oint (aphetic variant of anoint ) + -ment; replacing Middle English oignement < Old French < Vulgar Latin *unguimentum for Latin unguentum; see unguent
Explanation
Ointment is an oily kind of cream that you use to soothe or heal your skin. You might want to apply a bit of ointment to that festering flesh wound on your forehead. Just saying. Ointment is viscous — in other words, it's somewhere between a solid and a liquid, with a slippery, oily texture. Some medications come in ointment form, while other ointments might be lip balm, a moisturizer for dry skin, or even a cosmetic. The Old French oignement came from the Latin unguentum, from the stem unguere, "to anoint or salve."
Vocabulary lists containing ointment
"Be Prepared" by Vera Brosgol
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Pharmacy Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The rare items, which have been loaned by the Royal Navy Museum, include a bowl and dinner plate, a boot and belt buckle and an ointment pot.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
The vitamin K shot is one of the three main interventions, along with the hepatitis B vaccine and an antibiotic ointment in the eyes, that newborns typically receive before leaving the hospital.
From Salon • May 7, 2026
In three cases, the MicroShunt was exposed outside the conjunctiva and patients were treated with a petrolatum-based eye ointment.
From Science Daily • Jan. 16, 2026
Among the Pfizer drugs to be sold at reduced prices are Eucrisa, an eczema ointment, Xeljanz for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, and the migraine treatment Zavzpret, according to a White House fact sheet.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025
He found nothing there but a kohl pot half full of the black eye paint, a copper mirror, a razor and a little jar of the ointment Gebu had been perfuming himself with lately.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
