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Glite Dictionary
bitter aloes

bitter aloes

1 9.9
A strong plant medicine that makes you go to the toilet to empty your bowels
  • noun
translation icon : aloes amargos
  • For centuries, bitter aloes were used as a natural remedy for digestive problems.

Examples

  • The doctor recommended bitter aloes for digestion.

  • The herbalist recommended a dose of bitter aloes to treat constipation.

  • Excessive consumption of bitter aloes can lead to dehydration and abdominal cramps.

  • Have you ever tried bitter aloes as a remedy?

  • The herbalist recommended a tea made from bitter aloes to help with digestion.

  • After taking the bitter aloes, she felt an immediate urge to visit the restroom.

  • He was surprised by the strong flavor of the bitter aloes in the health tonic.

Synonyms

aloes
vsbitter aloes
  • Archaic
9.3

A bitter juice from aloe leaves that makes people have a bowel movement

is a stronger, prepared form made from dried juice of specific plants

Surface Forms

bitter aloes singular
bitter aloes plural
bitter aloe singular

Morphology

bitter + aloes

The meaning is directly compositional: 'aloes' already denotes a bitter, purgative plant substance and 'bitter' simply qualifies its taste/strength, so 'bitter aloes' refers to the bitter form of that purgative preparation. This straightforward modifier+noun structure is predictable and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Bitter aloes comes from the dried, very bitter juice of some aloes plants that people long used as a medicine. Because this juice makes you go to the toilet a lot, the name came to mean 'a strong laxative'.