A dried juice or extract obtained from wild cucumber plants (Ecballium elaterium), formerly used in medicine as a powerful purgative.
From New Latin, derived from Greek 'elater' meaning 'driver,' referring to the plant's seed-dispersal mechanism. The suffix '-ium' is a Latinized ending used for substances and materials, particularly in pharmaceutical terminology.
Medieval and ancient physicians prescribed elaterium not knowing it came from explosive seeds—they just knew it worked dramatically! The plant earned the species name 'elaterium' literally meaning 'the explosive one,' and doctors used it for centuries before understanding the botanical mechanism.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.