liniment en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (General-American) audio
- /ˈlɪnəmənt/
Etymology
From Middle English lynyment (“something used for smearing or anointing”), a learned borrowing from Late Latin linīmentum.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) A topical medical preparation intended to be rubbed into the skin with friction, as for example to relieve symptoms of arthritis.
He had a blanket across his withers and wore four bandages, the two front ones up over his knees. The odor of liniment was strong. The horse dragged his feet laboriously.
1975 September 5, Red Smith, quoting Phil Bieber, “Lyin’ Fitz, the Beautiful Dreamer”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 Feb 2026, page 21, columns 2–3:Denton (Dan Duryea): You're a peddler, aren't you? / Henry J. Fate (Malcolm Atterbury): Oh yes, dealer in everything. Utensils, herbs, medicine, liniments and tonics, farm implements, clothing, and potions.
1959, “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (16:29 from the start), in The Twilight Zone, season 1, episode 3, spoken by Henry J. Fate (Malcolm Atterbury):
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| liniments | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (19)
ar دَلُوك (topical medical preparation) · sv liniment (topical medical preparation) · fr liniment (topical medical preparation) · pl mazidło (topical medical preparation) · hi उबटन (topical medical preparation) · ru линиме́нт (topical medical preparation) · eo linimento (topical medical preparation) · de Liniment (topical medical preparation) · bg мехлем (topical medical preparation) · la linimentum (topical medical preparation) · fr topique (topical medical preparation) · es linimento (topical medical preparation) · oj gwendaaseg (topical medical preparation) · ca liniment (topical medical preparation) · hi लेप (topical medical preparation) · fi linimentti (topical medical preparation) · pt linimento (topical medical preparation) · is húðáburður (topical medical preparation) · it linimento (topical medical preparation)