laxative
noun
- Agents that produce a soft formed stool, and relax and loosen the bowels, typically used over a protracted period, to relieve constipation
adjective
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L338077 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈlæk.sə.tɪv/
adj
Etymology: From Middle French laxatif, from Latin laxātīvus (literally “relaxing, loosening”).
- Having the effect of moving the bowels, or aiding digestion and preventing constipation.
“BOlvs in Engliſh is called a morſell. It is a medicine laxatiue, in forme & faſhion it is meanely whole, & it is ſwallowed by litle gobbets.”
noun
Etymology: From Middle French laxatif, from Latin laxātīvus (literally “relaxing, loosening”).
- Any substance, such as a food or in the form of a medicine which has a laxative effect.
“According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, the US is having a love affair with laxatives; Americans of all ages are ingesting so much of the stuff that there are now shortages nationwide.”