Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A medicinal lotion applied to the eye; eyewash.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Eye-wash, or a salve for the eyes.
  • noun A preparation to blacken or color the eyelids and eyebrows.
  • noun A preparation of medicine in a solid state, made up in a long cylindrical roll so as to be introduced into an opening of the body, as the anus, nostril, etc.; a suppository.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Med.) An application to the eye, usually an eyewater.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A lotion or liquid wash used as a cleanser for the eyes; an eye-salve.
  • noun Loosely, any product applied to or around the eyes; kohl.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun lotion consisting of a solution used as a cleanser for the eyes

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin collȳrium, from Greek kollūrion, eye salve, poultice, diminutive of kollūrā, roll of bread.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin collȳrium, from Ancient Greek κολλύριον ("poultice").

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Examples

  • Another method employed the substance called collyrium; this is a preparation of Bruttian pitch, bitumen, pounded glass, wax, and mastich.

    Works of Lucian of Samosata — Volume 02 of Samosata Lucian 1894

  • It is essential that scholars and the spiritually learned should undertake in all sincerity and purity of intent and for the sake of God alone, to counsel and exhort the masses and clarify their vision with that collyrium which is knowledge.

    The Secret of Divine Civilization 1844-1921 `Abdu'l-Bah�� 1882

  • Fading is the function of creativity, which is in turn the eternally unfolding collyrium, the necessarily

    Shelley's Golden Wind: Zen Harmonics in _A Defence of Poetry_ and 'Ode to the WestWind' 2007

  • Kings were wont to use a little of it as collyrium for the eyes and as a remedy in sickness and colic; and the Patriarchs used to mix their own skite390 with it, for that the skite of the

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • Democritus's collyrium is not so sovereign to the eyes as this is to the heart; good words are cheerful and powerful of themselves, but much more from friends, as so many props, mutually sustaining each other like ivy and a wall, which Camerarius hath well illustrated in an emblem.

    Anatomy of Melancholy 2007

  • Great men are thus a collyrium to clear our eyes from egotism and enable us to see other people and their works.

    Representative Men 2006

  • There should be also a sort of couch besides, and at the head of this a sort of stool, on which should be placed the fragrant ointments for the night, as well as flowers, pots containing collyrium and other fragrant substances, things used for perfuming the mouth, and the bark of the common citron tree.

    The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana 2006

  • Now the householder, having got up in the morning and performed his necessary duties, 5 should wash his teeth, apply a limited quantity of ointments and perfumes to his body, put some ornaments on his person and collyrium on his eyelids and below his eyes, colour his lips with alacktaka, 6 and look at himself in the glass.

    The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana 2006

  • We found the solution of nitrate of silver, two or three grains to the ounce of rain-water, answer the same end so much more effectually, that every morning numbers of patients crowded round our house for the collyrium.

    Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa 2004

  • And, lastly, travelling with collyrium-pot, looking-glass and comb, needle and thread for sewing, scissors and tooth-stick, staff and razor.

    Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah and Meccah 2003

Comments

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  • Though Donald's ambitious delirium

    Breeds feverish dreams of imperium,

    He trumpets, by gosh,

    The sheerest eyewash-

    What Wordniks describe as collyrium.

    November 23, 2015