[uh-strin-juh
nt] 
| 1. | Medicine/Medical. contracting; constrictive; styptic. |
| 2. | harshly biting; caustic: his astringent criticism. |
| 3. | stern or severe; austere. |
| 4. | sharply incisive; pungent: astringent wit. |
| 5. | Medicine/Medical. a substance that contracts the tissues or canals of the body, thereby diminishing discharges, as of mucus or blood. |
| 6. | a cosmetic that cleans the skin and constricts the pores. |
| as·trin·gent (ə-strĭn'jənt) adj.
[Latin astringēns, astringent-, present participle of astringere, to bind fast : ad-, ad- + stringere, to bind; see streig- in Indo-European roots.] as·trin'gen·cy n., as·trin'gent·ly adv. |
astringent as·trin·gent (ə-strĭn'jənt)
adj.
Causing contraction of tissues, arrest of secretion, or control of bleeding. n.
A substance or preparation, such as alum, that draws together or constricts body tissues and is effective in stopping the flow of blood or other secretions.
| astringent (ə-strĭn'jənt) Pronunciation Key
A substance or preparation, such as alum, that draws together or constricts body tissues, resulting in decreased flow of blood or other secretions. |
astringent
any of a group of substances that cause the contraction or shrinkage of tissues and that dry up secretions. Astringents are usually classified into three groups according to their mode of action: (1) those that decrease the blood supply by narrowing the small blood vessels (e.g., epinephrine and cocaine), (2) those that abstract water from the tissue (e.g., glycerol and alcohol), and (3) those that coagulate the superficial tissue layers into a crust (e.g., metallic astringents, such as calamine or alum). Used in medicine to reduce swollen mucous membranes that result from inflammations of the nasal, gastrointestinal, and urinary passages, astringents are also frequently employed to dry up excessive secretions and (in this connection they are often known as styptics) to stop bleeding
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