Epsom salt
noun
Often Epsom salts. Chemistry, Pharmacology.
hydrated magnesium sulfate, MgSO4⋅7H2O, occurring as small colorless crystals: used in fertilizers, the dyeing of fabrics, leather tanning, etc., and in medicine chiefly as a cathartic.
Origin of Epsom salt
1760–70; after
Epsom; so called from its presence in the local mineral water
British Dictionary definitions for epsom salts
Epsom salts
noun
(functioning as singular or plural)
a medicinal preparation of hydrated magnesium sulphate, used as a purgative
Word Origin for Epsom salts
C18: named after
Epsom, where they occur naturally in the water
Medical definitions for epsom salts
Epsom salts
[ ĕp′səm ]
pl.n.
Hydrated magnesium sulfate, used as a cathartic and as an agent to reduce inflammation.
Scientific definitions for epsom salts
Epsom salts
[ ĕp′səm ]
A bitter, colorless, crystalline salt, used in making textiles, in fertilizers, for medical purposes, and as an additive to bath water to soothe the skin. Chemical formula: MgSO4·7H2O.