/euh pear"ee euhnt/ , Med.
adj.
1. having a mild purgative or laxative effect.
n.
2. a medicine or food that acts as a mild laxative. Also called aperitive .
[ 1620-30; aperient- (s. of aperiens opening, prp. of aperire to open), equiv. to aperi - (appar. ap -, var. of ab - AB- + - eri -) + -ent- -ENT; the base - eri-, perh. with an earlier shape * wery- or * twery-, occurs only in this verb and operire to close (see COVER, OPERCULUM) ]