noun That which warms or heats; in medicine, a substance which excites a sensation of warmth in the part to which it is applied, as mustard, pepper, etc.; a superficial stimulant.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
adjective rare Making warm; heating.
noun A substance that excites warmth in the parts to which it is applied, as mustard.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
adjective obsolete having heating or warming effects
noun obsolete A medical agent or substance which produces a feeling of warmth when applied to the body.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
adjective producing the sensation of heat when applied to the body
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word calefacient.
Examples
The animal experimented upon to be supplied daily with a weighed quantity of food, the composition and calefacient value of which had been accurately determined.
The gases, vapors, and liquid and solid egesta thrown off from its body to be collected, analysed, and the calefacient [15] value of the combustible portion of them to be determined.
These figures show the relative calefacient, or heat-producing powers of the different foods named _outside_ the body; but there is some doubt as to their having the same relative values when burned _within_ the body.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.