Question

styptic adjective People long ago recognized the power of certain substances to bind or contract organic tissue-a quality that has various uses and benefits. English speakers weren't original in this knowledge, and they copied speakers of Greek, Latin, and Anglo-French when they designated this quality as "styptic" in the Middle Ages. (The word in Greek, "styptikos," is from "styphein," which means "to contract.") One thing that a styptic substance can do is stop bleeding, and almost from the start the word "styptic" has referred to this quality especially. It has also been applied to things that make your mouth contract, or pucker, as well as to substances that might affect your digestive organs with a "binding" effect. : tending to contract or bind : astringent; especially : tending to check bleeding

Accepted Answer

June 2, 2013 STIP-tik The vet advised that we keep a styptic agent handy while clipping the cat's claws, just in case.   "Alum contains aluminum sulfate and is found in styptic pencils and as astringents." - From a column by Pat Shingleton in The Advocate (Florida), April 13, 2013

Word	styptic
Date	June 2, 2013
Type	adjective
Syllables	STIP-tik
Etymology	People long ago recognized the power of certain substances to bind or contract organic tissue-a quality that has various uses and benefits. English speakers weren't original in this knowledge, and they copied speakers of Greek, Latin, and Anglo-French when they designated this quality as "styptic" in the Middle Ages. (The word in Greek, "styptikos," is from "styphein," which means "to contract.") One thing that a styptic substance can do is stop bleeding, and almost from the start the word "styptic" has referred to this quality especially. It has also been applied to things that make your mouth contract, or pucker, as well as to substances that might affect your digestive organs with a "binding" effect.
Examples	The vet advised that we keep a styptic agent handy while clipping the cat's claws, just in case. "Alum contains aluminum sulfate and is found in styptic pencils and as astringents." - From a column by Pat Shingleton in The Advocate (Florida), April 13, 2013
Definition	: tending to contract or bind : astringent; especially : tending to check bleeding

Styptic Quality Substances Bind Contract Speakers Greek Word