a fatty or oily medicated formulation applied to the skin to heal or protect a similar substance used as a cosmetic
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
oint•ment /ˈɔɪntmənt/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Drugsa soft, smooth, oily or slightly greasy preparation, often medicated, for application to the skin;
salve: [uncountable]put ointment on the burn.[countable]ointments to relieve itching.
oint•ment
(oint′mənt),USA pronunciation n. [Pharm.]
- Drugsa soft, unctuous preparation, often medicated, for application to the skin;
unguent.
- Vulgar Latin *unguimentum for Latin unguentum; see unguent
- Old French
- 1250–1300; obsolete oint (aphetic variant of anoint) + -ment; replacing Middle English oignement
- salve, balm; nard.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'ointment' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
anoint
- application
- backrub
- balm
- balsam
- benzocaine
- bronzer
- camphor ice
- cerate
- dab
- fly
- formulation
- goose grease
- hot
- inunction
- liniment
- lip
- magma
- medicate
- myrobalan
- nard
- natural
- oleate
- percutaneous
- petrolatum
- pomade
- rub
- salve
- smear
- spikenard
- topical
- tretinoin
- unction
- unctuous
- ung.
- ungt.
- unguent
- unguentum
- unguinous
- where
- zambuck
- zinc ointment
- zinc oxide