colocynth

colocynth
/kol"euh sinth/, n.
1. a plant, Citrullus colocynthis, belonging to the gourd family, of the warmer parts of Asia, the Mediterranean region, etc., bearing a round, yellow or green fruit with a bitter pulp.
2. the fruit of this plant.
3. Pharm. the drug derived from the pulp of the unripe but full-grown fruit of this plant, used in medicine chiefly as a purgative. Also called bitter apple (for defs. 1, 2).
[1555-65; < L colocynthis < Gk kolokynthís, var. of KOLÓKYNTHA bitter gourd, bitter cucumber]

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▪ plant
also called  bitter apple, or bitter cucumber 
 (Citrullus colocynthis), hairy-stemmed climbing vine, of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), native to the Mediterranean region. The colocynth has small, pale greenish yellow flowers, forked tendrils, hairy, deeply cut leaves, and rounded yellow or green fruits that have a bitter taste. The fruits yield a purgative and a derivative that is used against rodents.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Colocynth — Col ocynth, n. [L. colocynthis, Gr. ?. Cf. {Coloquintida}.] (Med.) The light spongy pulp of the fruit of the bitter cucumber ({Citrullus colocynthis}, or {Cucumis colocynthis}), an Asiatic plant allied to the watermelon; coloquintida. It comes in …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • colocynth — [käl′ə sinth΄] n. [L colocynthis < Gr kolokynthis] 1. an African and Asian perennial vine (Citrullus colocynthis) of the gourd family, whose small, dried fruits are used in making a strong cathartic 2. this fruit, or the cathartic prepared… …   English World dictionary

  • Colocynth — Bitter apple and spelling variants redirect here. This is also used for the poisonous Soda Apple, a species of nightshade. Taxobox name = Colocynth image width = 240px image caption = Citrullus colocynthis from Koehler s Medicinal Plants (1887)… …   Wikipedia

  • colocynth — kartusis arbūzas statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Moliūginių šeimos vaistinis kultūrinis augalas (Citrullus colocynthis). atitikmenys: lot. Citrullus colocynthis; Colocynthis vulgaris; Cucumis colocynthis angl. bitter apple; colocynth; vine… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • colocynth apple — noun see colocynth 1 …   Useful english dictionary

  • colocynth — noun Etymology: Latin colocynthis, from Greek kolokynthis Date: 1543 a Mediterranean and African herbaceous vine (Citrullus colocynthis) related to the watermelon; also its spongy fruit from which a powerful cathartic is prepared …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • colocynth — noun /kɒl.əˈsɪnθ/ A viny plant native to the Mediterranean Basin and Asia. It produces a lemon sized, yellowish, green mottled, spongy, and extremely bitter fruit, a powerful hepatic stimulant and hydragogue cathartic used as a strong laxative.… …   Wiktionary

  • colocynth — The peeled dried fruit of Citrullus colcynthis (family Cucurbitaceae), an herb of the sandy shores of the Mediterranean, resembling somewhat the watermelon plant; formerly widely used as a cathartic and laxative. SYN: bitter apple. [G. kolokynthe …   Medical dictionary

  • colocynth — n. type of plant; fruit of this plant; purgative derived from this fruit …   English contemporary dictionary

  • colocynth — [ kɒləsɪnθ] noun a tropical climbing plant with pulpy fruit which yield a bitter purgative drug. [Citrullus colocynthis.] Origin C16: via L. from Gk kolokunthis …   English new terms dictionary

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