CATHARTIC

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does cathartic mean? 

• CATHARTIC (noun)
  The noun CATHARTIC has 1 sense:

1. a purging medicine; stimulates evacuation of the bowels

  Familiarity information: CATHARTIC used as a noun is very rare.

• CATHARTIC (adjective)
  The adjective CATHARTIC has 3 senses:

1. emotionally purging

2. emotionally purging (of e.g. art)

3. strongly laxative

  Familiarity information: CATHARTIC used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CATHARTIC (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A purging medicine; stimulates evacuation of the bowels

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

aperient; cathartic; physic; purgative

Hypernyms ("cathartic" is a kind of...):

medicament; medication; medicinal drug; medicine ((medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cathartic"):

aloes; bitter aloes (a purgative made from the leaves of aloe)

castor oil (a purgative extracted from the seed of the castor-oil plant; used in paint and varnish as well as medically)

Epsom salts ((used with a singular noun) hydrated magnesium sulfate used as a laxative)

laxative (a mild cathartic)

milk of magnesia (purgative consisting of a milky white liquid suspension of magnesium hydroxide; used as a laxative and (in smaller doses) as an antacid)

Rochelle powder; Seidlitz powder; Seidlitz powders (an effervescing salt containing sodium bicarbonate and Rochelle salt and tartaric acid; used as a cathartic)

Derivation:

cathartic (strongly laxative)

• CATHARTIC (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Emotionally purging

Synonyms:

cathartic; psychotherapeutic

Similar:

healthful (conducive to good health of body or mind)

Derivation:

catharsis ((psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Emotionally purging (of e.g. art)

Synonyms:

cathartic; releasing

Similar:

emotional (of more than usual emotion)

Domain category:

art; artistic creation; artistic production (the creation of beautiful or significant things)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Strongly laxative

Synonyms:

cathartic; evacuant; purgative

Similar:

laxative (stimulating evacuation of feces)

Derivation:

catharsis (purging the body by the use of a cathartic to stimulate evacuation of the bowels)

cathartic (a purging medicine; stimulates evacuation of the bowels)

 Context examples 

A small colorless crystal used as an anticonvulsant, a cathartic, and an electrolyte replenisher in the treatment of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia.

(Magnesium sulfate, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

The cathartic action of magnesium cations appears to result, in part, from osmotically mediated water retention, which subsequently stimulates peristalsis.

(Magnesium Citrate, NCI Thesaurus)

The citrate salt of the element magnesium with cathartic activity.

(Magnesium Citrate, NCI Thesaurus)