menstruum

men·stru·um  (mnstr-m)

n. pl. men·stru·ums or men·stru·a (-str-)

A solvent, especially one used in extracting compounds from plant and animal tissues and preparing drugs.

---

[Middle English, menstruation, from Medieval Latin mnstruum, sing. of Latin mnstrua, menses; see menstruate.]

---

menstruum [ˈmɛnstrʊəm]

n pl -struums, -strua [-strʊə] Obsolete

1. (Medicine / Pharmacology) a solvent, esp one used in the preparation of a drug

2. (Medicine / Pharmacology) a solid formulation of a drug

[C17 (meaning: solvent), C14 (menstrual discharge): from Medieval Latin, from Latin mēnstruus monthly, from mēnsis month; from an alchemical comparison between a base metal being transmuted into gold and the supposed action of the menses]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	menstruum - (archaic) a solvent archaicism, archaism - the use of an archaic expression dissolvent, dissolver, dissolving agent, resolvent, solvent - a liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances; "the solvent does not change its state in forming a solution"
	2.	menstruum - the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause; "the women were sickly and subject to excessive menstruation"; "a woman does not take the gout unless her menses be stopped"--Hippocrates; "the semen begins to appear in males and to be emitted at the same time of life that the catamenia begin to flow in females"--Aristotle catamenia, menses, menstruation, period, flow expelling, discharge, emission - any of several bodily processes by which substances go out of the body; "the discharge of pus" hypermenorrhea, menorrhagia - abnormally heavy or prolonged menstruation; can be a symptom of uterine tumors and can lead to anemia if prolonged oligomenorrhea - abnormally light or infrequent menstruation