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Seidlitz powder

Seidlitz powders

noun
  1. a laxative consisting of two powders, tartaric acid and a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and Rochelle salt (sodium potassium tartrate)Also called: Rochelle powder
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Word Origin

C19: named after Seidlitz, a village in Bohemia with mineral springs having similar laxative effects
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

Examples from the Web for seidlitz powder

Historical Examples

  • He handed me out a little flat thing like a seidlitz-powder.

    The Plattner Story and Others

    H. G. Wells

  • “Devilish good—devilish good,” said the Seidlitz-powder man.

  • Seidlitz-powder functions they were called, but the recipients of both blue and white went for all the disturbing elements.

    The Awful Australian

    Valerie Desmond

seidlitz powder in Medicine

Seidlitz powder

n.
  1. A mixture of tartaric acid, sodium bicarbonate, and potassium sodium tartrate, used as a mild cathartic by dissolving in water and drinking.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.