Literary notes about Emollient (AI summary)
In literature, the term emollient is most commonly used to describe substances that soothe, soften, or alleviate discomfort—often in a medicinal or therapeutic context. It appears in texts detailing recipes or remedies where ingredients are combined to treat wounds, ulcers, or inflammations, such as ointments, glysters, and poultices that are noted for their healing and softening properties [1][2][3]. At the same time, emollient finds its place in more figurative language, where its connotation of gentle soothing is applied to emotional states or abstract experiences, for example when a character’s demeanor or a fleeting hope brings relief to a troubled spirit [4][5]. This dual usage highlights the word’s capacity to bridge literal medical applications with rich, metaphorical imagery in literature.
- When pure it had no sharp taste, and was in some degree astringent and appeared white, and was emollient and filled up ulcers.”
— from The Mystery and Romance of Alchemy and Pharmacy by C. J. S. (Charles John Samuel) Thompson - As an emollient and soothing dressing to excoriations, irritable ulcers, &c. Ointment, Egyp′tian.
— from Cooley's Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume II by Richard Vine Tuson - It is emollient and, in decoction, is used as a substitute for flaxseed.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera - His eyes lighted up with the advent of an emollient hope, and a half-smile touched his lips.
— from The Red Debt: Echoes from Kentucky by Everett MacDonald - All this was an emollient to my wounds, and I became consoled.
— from Father and Son: A Study of Two Temperaments by Edmund Gosse
