noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American:/ˈpoʊltɪs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:P OW1 L T AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A soft, moist mass, usually wrapped in cloth and warmed, that is applied topically to a sore, aching or lesioned part of the body to soothe it.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A porous solid filled with solvent, used to remove stains from porous stone such as marble or granite.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To treat with a poultice.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
a medical dressing consisting of a soft heated mass of meal or clay that is spread on a cloth and applied to the skin to treat inflamed areas or improve circulation etc.
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cataplasm, plaster
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: dressing, medical dressing
Narrower terms: mustard plaster, sinapism
5
verb
Meaning 5
dress by covering with a therapeutic substance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: plaster
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: dress
History
Etymology
From Middle English pultes, from Latin pultes, plural of puls. The phonological development from Middle English is regular; compare poultry.
Across languages
Translations
53 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
llapa
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Albanian:
jaki
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Arabic:
لَبْخَة
(labḵa)
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Tunisian Arabic:
كاتاپلازما
(kataplāzma)
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Bulgarian:
компрес
(kompres)
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Bulgarian:
лапа
(lapa)
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Catalan:
cataplasma
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Chinese Mandarin:
泥敷劑 /泥敷剂
(nífūjì)
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Danish:
omslag
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Danish:
grødomslag
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Dutch:
papomslag
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Dutch:
cataplasma
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Finnish:
haude
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
French:
cataplasme
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
French:
emplâtre
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Galician:
emplasto
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Galician:
cataplasma
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Galician:
papuxas
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
German:
Kataplasma
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
German:
Wickel
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
German:
Umschlag
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
German:
Packung
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Greek:
κατάπλασμα
(katáplasma)
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Ancient Greek:
κατάπλασμα
(katáplasma)
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Irish:
ceirín
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Italian:
cataplasma
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Japanese:
罨法
(anpō)
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Latin:
fōmentum
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Māori:
whakapiripiri
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Māori:
tākai
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Norman:
poussot
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Norman:
vithicatouaithe
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Norwegian:
grøtomslag
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Plautdietsch:
Pleista
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Polish:
kataplazm
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Portuguese:
emplastro
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Portuguese:
emplasto
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Portuguese:
cataplasma
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Russian:
припа́рка
(pripárka)
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Spanish:
cataplasma
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Spanish:
emplasto
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Spanish:
émbroca
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Spanish:
embrocación
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Spanish:
emplaste
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Spanish:
bizma
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Spanish:
pegote
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Spanish:
pegatoste
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Swedish:
grötomslag
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Swedish:
foment
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Swedish:
omslag
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Tocharian B:
tsatsāpar
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Turkish:
lapa
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
Ottoman Turkish:
لاپه
(lapa)
— soft, moist mass applied topically to a part of the body
