# Yahoo- What Are Laxatives? How Do Laxatives Work? (Medical News Today)



## VSsupport (Feb 12, 2008)

The English word "laxative" comes from Old French laxative, which came from the Latin laxatus. The Latin word Laxare means "to loosen", while the Latin word Laxus means "loose, lax". Reference books indicate that the noun meaning "a laxative medicine" in the English language emerged around 1386 A.D.View the full article


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