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poul·tice

(pōltĭs)

A soft moist mass of bread, meal, clay, or other adhesive substance, usually heated, spread on cloth, and applied to warm, moisten, or stimulate an aching or inflamed part of the body. Also called cataplasm.

tr.v. poul·ticed, poul·tic·ing, poul·tic·es

To apply a poultice to.

[Middle English pultes, from Medieval Latin pultēs, thick paste, from Latin, pl. of puls, pult-, pottage; see PULSE².]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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