ointment

American  

[oint-muhnt] / ˈɔɪnt mənt /

noun

Pharmacology.

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

   Synonyms:

   nard, balm, salve

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ointment British  

/ 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

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ointment Idioms  

1. see fly in the ointment.

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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; unguent

Example Sentences

She’d brought the box of bandages and antibiotic ointments from the bathroom, and she pulled Akira into a chair to see to the burn on her arm.

From Literature

New research from Nagoya University in Japan has identified a previously overlooked risk associated with widely used eye ointments.

From Science Daily

There are two potential flies in the ointment.

From Barron's

I don’t have antibiotics, but I did have some triple antibiotic ointment that Mom uses on cuts.

From Literature

The investment is meant in part to help the company respond to a surge in the number of medications that require more complicated logistics handling than traditional pills, cough syrups and topical ointments.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• balm
• lotion
• salve