noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A plaster or poultice, spread over one's skin as medical treatment.

   "Aretæus prescribes cataplasms of camomile flowers, fennel, aniseeds, cummin, rosemary, wormwood leaves, etc."

2. 2
   a medical dressing consisting of a soft heated mass of meal or clay that is spread on a cloth and applied to the skin to treat inflamed areas or improve circulation etc. wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

poulticepoulticeadhesive tapeapplicationbandband aid

Example

More examples

"Aretæus prescribes cataplasms of camomile flowers, fennel, aniseeds, cummin, rosemary, wormwood leaves, etc."

Etymology

From Latin cataplasma, from Ancient Greek κατάπλασμα (katáplasma).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.