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car·min·a·tive

(kär-mĭnə-tĭv, kärmə-nā′-)

adj.

Inducing the expulsion of excess gas from the stomach and intestines.

A carminative drug or agent.

[Middle English carminatif, from Old French, from Medieval Latin carminātīvus, from carminātus, past participle of carmināre, to disperse, purify by expelling, from Latin, to card (wool), heckle (flax), from *carmen, card for wool (attested in Late Latin carmen), from cārere, carrere, to card.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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