Emetical

/ɪˈmɛtɪkəl/ adjective

Definition

An alternative adjective form meaning the same as emetic: tending to cause or inducing vomiting.

Etymology

From emetic with the suffix '-al' added to form an adjective, showing how English allows multiple valid forms of the same word through different suffixing patterns.

Kelly Says

English loves giving us multiple ways to say the same thing—'emetical' and 'emetic' mean exactly the same thing, but 'emetic' is much more common in modern medical writing, so 'emetical' is becoming a historical relic.

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