cantharides Hear it!

cantharides definition

can·thari·des (kan t̸har′ə dēz′)

plural noun

  1. cantharis
  2. a dangerous, sometimes fatal, preparation of powdered, dried Spanish flies, formerly used internally as a diuretic and aphrodisiac and externally as a skin irritant

Etymology: ME cantarides < L cantharides, pl. of cantharis, kind of beetle, Spanish fly < Gr kantharis, blister beetle

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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