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emollient

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Prescription strength Vitamin A derivative Rx cream. Learn more.
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e⋅mol⋅lient

  [i-mol-yuhnt]
Use emollient in a Sentence
–adjective
1. having the power of softening or relaxing, as a medicinal substance; soothing, esp. to the skin: emollient lotions for the face.
–noun
2. an emollient medicine, lotion, salve, etc.
Origin:
1635–45; < L ēmollient- (s. of ēmolliēns) softening up (prp. of ēmollīre), equiv. to ē- e- + molli(s) soft + -ent- -ent

Related forms:
e⋅mol⋅lience, noun

Synonyms:
1. relieving, palliative, healing, assuasive.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To emollient
Emollient Night Cream
Prescription strength Vitamin A derivative Rx cream. Learn more.
RxFacialTreatment.com
Humectant at Amazon
Amazon sells nearly everything now. Qualified orders over $25 ship free
Amazon.com/health
e·mol·lient   (ĭ-mŏl'yənt)   
adj.  

  1. Softening and soothing, especially to the skin.

  2. Making less harsh or abrasive; mollifying: the emollient approach of a diplomatic mediator.

n.  

  1. An agent that softens or soothes the skin.

  2. An agent that assuages or mollifies.


[Latin ēmolliēns, ēmollient-, present participle of ēmollīre, to soften : ē-, ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + mollīre, to soften (from mollis, soft; see mel-1 in Indo-European roots).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

emollient 
1643, from Fr. emollient, from L. emollientem (nom. emolliens), prp. of emollire "soften," from ex- "out" + mollire "soften," from mollis "soft."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1emol·lient
Pronunciation: i-'mäl-y&nt
Function: adjective
: making soft or supple; also : soothingespecially to the skin or mucous membrane

Main Entry: 2emollient
Function: noun
: an emollient agent emollient for the hands>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

emollient e·mol·lient (ĭ-mŏl'yənt)
adj.
Softening and soothing, especially to the skin. n.
An agent that softens or soothes the skin.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

emollient

any substance that softens the skin by slowing evaporation of water. Sesame, almond, and olive oils were used in ancient Egypt; beeswax, spermaceti, almond oil, borax, and rosewater in Greece; and lanolin (sheep fat) in medieval Europe. Modern emollients include petrolatum, zinc oxide, paraffin, mineral oil, glycerin, beeswax, olive oil, coconut oil, lanolin, cocoa butter, and such synthetics as butyl stearate and diglycol laurate.

Learn more about emollient with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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