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Ointment vs Cerate - What's the difference?

ointment | cerate |

As nouns the difference between ointment and cerate

is that ointment is (medicine) a viscous preparation of oils and/or fats, usually containing medication, used as a treatment or as an emollient while cerate is (medicine|archaic) an unctuous preparation for external application — mainly wax (or resin or spermaceti) mixed with oil, lard, and various medicinal ingredients — of a consistency between ointment and plaster, so that it can be spread upon cloth without the use of heat, but does not melt when applied to the skin.

ointment

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (medicine) A viscous preparation of oils and/or fats, usually containing medication, used as a treatment or as an emollient.

    • Synonyms

    * salve * unguent

    Related terms

    * anoint

    Derived terms

    * fly in the ointment

    See also

    * cream * inunction * liniment * unction * unctuous * unguent

    External links

    * * *

    cerate

    English

    Noun

  • (medicine, archaic) An unctuous preparation for external application — mainly wax (or resin or spermaceti) mixed with oil, lard, and various medicinal ingredients — of a consistency between ointment and plaster, so that it can be spread upon cloth without the use of heat, but does not melt when applied to the skin.
    • (Webster 1913) ----