aperient
A laxative, either in the form of a medicine or a food such as asparagus or hops,…A laxative, either in the form of a medicine or a food such as asparagus or hops, which has the effect of moving the bowels, or aiding digestion and preventing constipation.
Meaning
1 sensesA laxative, either in the form of a medicine or a food such as asparagus or hops, which has the effect of moving the bowels, or aiding digestion and preventing constipation.
- a purging medicine; stimulates evacuation of the bowels
Origin
Attested since the early 17th century, from Latin aperiens, present participle of aperireAttested since the early 17th century, from Latin aperiens, present participle of aperire (“to open”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.