noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   An unctuous preparation for external application — mainly wax (or resin or spermaceti) mixed with oil, lard, and various medicinal ingredients — of a consistency between ointment and plaster, so that it can be spread upon cloth without the use of heat, but does not melt when applied to the skin. archaic, historical
2. 2
   a hard medicated paste made of lard or oil mixed with wax or resin wordnet
3. 3
   The anion CeO₃²⁻ of cerium.

Synonyms

All synonyms

balmbalsamcreamdemulcentemollientester

Etymology

From Middle English cerate, cerote, from Latin cērātum, from cēra (“wax”), see -ate (noun-forming suffix)

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