poultice means A soft, moist mass, usually wrapped in cloth and warmed, that is applied topically to a sore, aching or lesioned part of the body to soothe it. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 81 out of 100.
poultice is pronounced /ˈpoʊltɪs/.
Why “poultice” is a great word
POULTICE — [Noun] A soft, moist, and often heated mass of herbs, meal, or clay, wrapped in cloth and applied to the skin to draw out infection or soothe inflammation. From Middle English pultes, from Latin pultes, plural of puls ("porridge, thick pap"), its etymology grounds it in humble, culinary mush. Unlike a cataplasm, which implies a formal, medicated plaster, or a compress, which denotes simple, often cold pressure, a poultice is defined by its warm, yielding substance. It is the steaming mash of mustard seed on a congested chest, the green pulp of bruised comfrey on a swollen joint, or the damp weight of bread-and-milk paste drawn over a boil—a primitive, palpable covenant between the body's ailment and the quiet wisdom of the ground.
Etymology
From Middle English pultes, from Latin pultes, plural of puls. The phonological development from Middle English is regular; compare poultry.
noun
- A soft, moist mass, usually wrapped in cloth and warmed, that is applied topically to a sore, aching or lesioned part of the body to soothe it.“The poultice relaxeth the pores.”
- A porous solid filled with solvent, used to remove stains from porous stone such as marble or granite.
verb
- To treat with a poultice.