astringent
Use Astringent in a sentence
dʒənt| excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters |
| incapable of feeling or perceiving; deprived of sensation; unconscious |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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astringent (əˈstrɪndʒənt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | severe; harsh |
| 2. | sharp or invigorating |
| 3. | causing contraction of body tissues, checking blood flow, or restricting secretions of fluids; styptic |
| —n | |
| 4. | an astringent drug or lotion |
| [C16: from Latin astringēns drawing together; see | |
| as'tringency | |
| —n | |
| as'tringence | |
| —n | |
| as'tringently | |
| —adv | |
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astringent
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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.
as·trin'gen·cy n.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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| 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. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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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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