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Glite Dictionary
croton oil

croton oil

9.9
A very strong toxic oil once used to make people have strong bowel movements
  • noun
  • /ˈkroʊtən ɔɪl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : aceite de croton
  • The doctor prescribed croton oil as a last resort.

Examples

  • Because of its potency, croton oil is no longer commonly used in modern medicine.

  • Early physicians often administered croton oil as a powerful laxative, despite its harsh side effects.

  • The chemist handled the croton oil with extreme caution due to its toxic properties.

  • Is croton oil still used in modern medicine?

  • The doctor advised against using croton oil due to its harsh side effects.

  • In traditional medicine, croton oil was often used as a potent laxative.

  • He remembered that croton oil had a strong smell and was known for its purgative properties.

Surface Forms

croton oil singular
croton oils plural

Morphology

croton + oil

The noun phrase is compositionally built from 'croton' (the plant) + 'oil', so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will infer it refers to the oil obtained from the Croton plant; plant+oil compounds are a regular and cross-linguistic pattern (e.g., 'olive oil', 'coconut oil'). Although the specific properties (thick, acrid, purgative) are specialist knowledge and not predictable, the basic referential meaning is directly derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Croton oil comes from the oily seeds of the Croton plant. This very bitter, strong oil was used long ago as a harsh 'laxative' that forced people to go to the toilet many times, so the name now means a powerful and dangerous medicine.