cerate Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a hard medicated paste made of lard or oil mixed with wax or resin

WordNet


Ce"rate noun
Etymology
L. ceratum, ceratm, fr. cera wax.
Definitions
  1. (Med.) An unctuous preparation for external application, of a consistence intermediate between that of an ointment and a plaster, so that it can be spread upon cloth without the use of heat, but does not melt when applied to the skin. Cerate consists essentially of wax (for which resin or spermaceti is sometimes substituted) mixed with oil, lard, and various medicinal ingredients. The cerate (formerly called simple cerate) of the United States Pharmacopoeia is a mixture of three parts of white wax and seven parts of lard.

Webster 1913