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n. (Med.) An anacathartic medicine; an expectorant or an emetic. [ archaic ] [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

{ } a. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to cleanse, fr. &unr_; pure; akin to F. chaste. ] 1. (Med.) Cleansing the bowels; promoting evacuations by stool; purgative. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of or pertaining to the purgative principle of senna, as cathartic acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;. ] (Med.) A medicine that promotes alvine discharges; a purge; a purgative of moderate activity. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The cathartics are more energetic and certain in action that the laxatives, which simply increase the tendency to alvine evacuation; and less powerful and irritaint that the drastic purges, which cause profuse, repeated, and watery evacuations.

-- Ca*thar"tic*al*ly, adv. -- Ca*thar"tic*al*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) The bitter, purgative principle of senna. It is a glucoside with the properties of a weak acid; -- called also cathartic acid, and cathartina. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; down + &unr_; serving to purge. See Cathartic. ] (Med.) A remedy that purges by alvine discharges. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. charte charter. Cf. Charte, Chart. ] The principles of a political party in England (1838-48), which contended for universal suffrage, the vote by ballot, annual parliaments, equal electoral districts, and other radical reforms, as set forth in a document called the People's Charter. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A supporter or partisan of chartism. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]