aperient
adjective, noun
Forms aperients
- adjective (medicine) Having a gentle laxative effect.
- adjective Serving to open or reveal.
- noun (medicine) 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.
Synonyms
Etymology
Attested since the early 17th century, from Latin aperiens, present participle of aperire (“to open”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [L. aperiens, p. pr. of aperire to uncover, open; ab + parire, parere, to bring forth, produce. Cf. Cover, Overt.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “aperient”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details