Emplastrums

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A medicinal preparation applied to the skin for therapeutic purposes, consisting of a paste or adhesive substance
2. A topical treatment used to alleviate pain or inflammation by adhering to the skin
3. A specialized dressing that helps deliver healing compounds directly to affected areas on the body

Etymology: "Emplastrums" is the plural of "emplastrum", a Latin noun borrowed from Greek "emplastron," meaning a plaster or a salve spread on the skin. The Greek word was built from "en," meaning "in" or "on," and "plassein," meaning "to mould" or "to shape," so the underlying idea is something worked or kneaded into a soft mass and applied to the body. The plural form reflects the Latin stem, which Latin speakers would have used for these medicinal preparations. In English the Latin plural "emplastra" is the classical form, while "emplastrums" follows the regular English pattern of adding an -s, so both are used in older medical writing.