styptic

Bringing about contraction of tissues; harsh, raw, austere.

Adjective

  1. Bringing about contraction of tissues; harsh, raw, austere.
    • Boyles turns to look over his shoulder, squinting into the styptic sun, and then flags a hand over his head. - 1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin, published 2006, page 328:
  2. That stops bleeding; especially, in a minor way, topically.
    • The growth on top was a scrubby plant, unknown anywhere else on Malta, which was believed to have styptic qualities – it could staunch bleeding when packed on top of a wound […]. - 1973, Nicholas Monsarrat, The Kapillan...
    • But I waited while he dabbed at the cut with styptic powder. - 1959, Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon:

    Hypernyms: hemostatic

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin stypticus, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek στυπτικός (stuptikós), from στύφω (stúphō, “to contract”).

Forms

more styptic most styptic styptick

Derived

hemostyptic styptic pencil styptic tree xylostyptic

Noun

  1. A substance used for styptic results.
    • The powdered gum with resin is used as a styptic; and the mucilage has been recommended as an application to burns. - 1876, Henry Beasley, The Book of Prescriptions:
    • Externally, it is applied as a styptic, and in solution, of various strengths, as an astringent. - 1889, John Barclay Biddle, Materia Medica and Therapeutics: For Physicians and Students:
    • Knowledge of puffball's use as a styptic and for hemorrhoids reached Bass through the popular tradition. - 1990, A. L. Tommie Bass et al., Herbal Medicine Past and Present:

    Coordinate Terms: coagulant

Forms

styptics styptick