glauber's salts Meaning, Definition & Usage

Glau"ber's salt`, Glau"ber's salts` (Also<

• Glauber's salt
• Glauber's salts

)

Etymology

G. glaubersalz, from Glauber, a German chemist who discovered it. See Glauberite.

Definitions

1. Sulphate of soda, a well-known cathartic. It is a white crystalline substance, with a cooling, slightly bitter taste, and is commonly called "salts." ✍ It occurs naturally and abundantly in some mineral springs, and in many salt deposits, as the mineral mirabilite. It is manufactured in large quantities as an intermediate step in the "soda process," and also for use in glass making.