Saturday, December 21, 2013

Word of the Day

poultice \POHL-tis\,
noun:
1. a soft, moist mass of cloth, bread, meal, herbs, etc., applied hot as a medicament to the body.
verb:
1. to apply a poultice to.

...he did not notice whether I was going to spike him or put on a poultice.
-- David Rattlehead, "The Life and Adventures of an Arkansaw Doctor," 1851

"...I thought I could nurse her; I did my best. Was the poultice all right?"
-- George Moore, "Spring Days: A Realistic Novel," 1888

Poultice came to English in the 1500s from the Latin puls meaning "porridge."

Dictionary.com