tartar emetic

noun

: a poisonous efflorescent crystalline salt C8H4K2O12Sb2·3H2O of sweetish metallic taste that is used in dyeing as a mordant and especially formerly in medicine as an emetic and expectorant

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1704, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tartar emetic was circa 1704

Dictionary Entries Near tartar emetic

Tartarean

tartar emetic

tartareous

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Cite this Entry

“Tartar emetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tartar%20emetic. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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Medical Definition

tartar emetic

noun
: a poisonous efflorescent crystalline salt KSbOC4H4O6·¹/₂H2O of sweetish metallic taste that is used in dyeing as a mordant and especially formerly in medicine as an expectorant, anthelmintic, and emetic

called also antimony potassium tartrate, potassium antimonyltartrate, tartrated antimony

More from Merriam-Webster on tartar emetic

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tartar emetic

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