Vesicatories

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A class of blister-inducing substances used in medicine or chemistry
2. agents known for causing skin blisters through irritation
3. materials applied for therapeutic purposes that create vesicles on the skin

Etymology: "Vesicatories" is the plural of "vesicatory," a noun for a substance that raises blisters on the skin. The plural form is the one to know about, since the word is an inflected form of the singular noun. Its base is the Latin "vesicare," meaning "to blister," itself built on "vesica," a bladder or blister, which is also the source of the English "vesicle." Medical writers used the singular for blistering plasters and ointments long before the word gained wider use, so the plural simply names several such preparations at once.