Noun: cataplasm 'ka-tu,pla-zum
Usage: archaic
Usage: archaic
- A medical dressing consisting of a soft heated mass of meal or clay that is spread on a cloth and applied to the skin to treat inflamed areas or improve circulation etc.
"The healer applied a warm cataplasm to soothe the patient's sore muscles";
- poultice, plaster
Derived forms: cataplasms
Type of: dressing, medical dressing
Encyclopedia: Cataplasm