laxative
/ˈlæk.sə.tɪv/ adjective, noun
Forms laxatives
- adjective Having the effect of moving the bowels, or aiding digestion and preventing constipation.
- noun Any substance, such as a food or in the form of a medicine which has a laxative effect.
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle French laxatif, from Latin laxātīvus (literally “relaxing, loosening”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Having a tendency to loosen or relax. Milton.
- adjective Having the effect of loosening or opening the intestines, and relieving from constipation; --opposed to astringent.
Etymology [L. laxativus mitigating, assuaging: cf. F. laxatif. See Lax, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “laxative”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details