Catharticalness

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Cathartic \Ca*thar"tic\, n. [Gr. ?.] (Med.)
     A medicine that promotes alvine discharges; a purge; a
     purgative of moderate activity.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The cathartics are more energetic and certain in action


           that the laxatives, which simply increase the tendency
           to alvine evacuation; and less powerful and irritaint
           that the drastic purges, which cause profuse, repeated,
           and watery evacuations. -- {Ca*thar"tic*al*ly}, adv. --
           {Ca*thar"tic*al*ness}, n.
           [1913 Webster]