cataplasm
"cataplasm" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cataplasm” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A plaster or poultice, spread over one's skin as medical treatment.
Corpus desk
Index EN-cataplasm · cataplasm · English
cataplasm · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cataplasm |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “cataplasm” in English
Rare enough to double-check
cataplasm is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A plaster or poultice, spread over one's skin as medical treatment.".
cataplasm has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin cataplasma, from Ancient Greek κατάπλασμα (katáplasma). The correct English form is cataplasm, spelled C-A-T-A-P-L-A-S-M.
Definition
- 1A plaster or poultice, spread over one's skin as medical treatment.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how cataplasm appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Aretæus prescribes cataplasms of camomile flowers, fennel, aniseeds, cummin, rosemary, wormwood leaves, etc.
The Lips of the Abſceſs digeſted vvell, but from vvithin it onely gleeted, and thruſt out Fat, vvhich vve daily cut off vvithout the loſs of a drop of blood, and dreſſed up the Abſceſs vvith mundif. ex apio, continuing the uſe of diſcutient Fomentations and Cataplaſms.
Etymology
From Latin cataplasma, from Ancient Greek κατάπλασμα (katáplasma).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.