polychrest ? Obs.
(ˈpɒlɪkrɛst)
Also 7 in Gr.-L. forms polychrestum, -on.
[a. med.L. polychrēstus, a. Gr. πολύχρηστος useful for many purposes, f. πολυ-, poly- + χρηστός useful. So F. polychreste (1690).]
Something adapted to several different uses; esp. a drug or medicine serving to cure various diseases.
| [1620 Bacon Instauratio Magna, De Augm. Scient. iii. v, Inventorium opum humanarum, et catalogus polychrestorum.] 1656 Blount Glossogr., Polychrests, things of much use, fit for many uses, or divers ways profitable. Bac. 1685 J. Cooke Marrow Chirurg. vii. i. (ed. 4) 263 Many Physicians have studied out Polychrestons. 1729 Evelyn's Sylva iv. i. 313 There is nothing necessary for life..which these Polychrests afford not. 1802–12 Bentham Ration. Judic. Evid. (1827) IV. 382 Of admirable use: like most other articles in the catalogue, a polychrest. |
† b. attrib. polychrest salt (also salt polychrest): ‘an old name for neutral sulphate of potassium; and for sodio-potassic tartrate’ (Watts Dict. Chem.).
| 1727–41 Chambers Cycl. s.v., Sal Polychrest is a compound salt, made of equal parts of salt-petre and sulphur. 1750 Mrs. Delany in Life & Corr. (1861) II. 550, I have taken Salt Polychrest and Cheltenham waters. 1799 M. Underwood Diseases Children (ed. 4) I. 91, I have usually directed..the polychrest salt and rhubarb occasionally in the course of the day. |
So polyˈchrestic adj., serving for various uses; n. = polychrest; † polyˈchrestical adj. Obs. = prec.; ˈpolychresty, adaptation to various uses, capability of being used in several ways.
| 1657 Tomlinson Renou's Disp. 124 Other medicaments, called polychrestical, which consist of contrary medicaments. 1694 Westmacott Script. Herb. 213 These names shew it was a great Polychrestick. 1889 Buck's Handbk. Med. Sc. VIII. 518/1 The same word may do duty in many different connections... Such words, useful in many ways, may be called polychrestic, although this adjective is commonly applied to drugs of various utility. Ibid., In a greater or less degree polychresty is predicable of many other words, e.g., frontal, dorsal, etc. |