2 syllables: Poult, ice. Stress on Poult.
POHL-tuhs
/ˈpoʊltəs/
Poultice is pronounced POHL-tuhs (/ˈpoʊltəs/). It has two syllables (Poult-ice), with the stress on "Poult". Poultice is a soft, often warm compress placed on a wound or sore area to draw out infection, reduce swelling, or soothe irritation. It typically contains medicinal substances bound in a moist, pulpy mass applied to the skin for healing. The term also appears in historical medicine and herbal traditions as a topical treatment.
nounPoultice is a soft, often warm compress placed on a wound or sore area to draw out infection, reduce swelling, or soothe irritation. It typically contains medicinal substances bound in a moist, pulpy mass applied to the skin for healing. The term also appears in historical medicine and herbal traditions as a topical treatment.
How to Pronounce Poultice
"The nurse applied a warm poultice to the patient’s bruised ankle."
"Herbal poultices were historically used to treat infections before modern antibiotics."
"He wrapped the poultice in linen and left it on overnight."
Poultice is pronounced POHL-tis, with the primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US: /ˈpoʊltɪs/, UK: /ˈpɒltɪs/, AU: /ˈpɔːltɪs/. Start with an open back rounded vowel in the first syllable, then a clear /l/ and a reduced second syllable /tɪs/. Think “POLE-tiss” without a long E.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing the stress on the second syllable, saying po-LTICE; (2) Using a long U or E in the first vowel, saying PO-ulate; (3) Softening the /l/ into an /r/ or a different consonant cluster. Correction: keep /ˈpoʊl/ for US or /ˈpɒl/ for UK, then /tɪs/. Practice with minimal pairs: polt vs pulse, list vs lift to feel the /l/ and /t/ separation.
US tends to /ˈpoʊltɪs/ with a clearer diphthong /oʊ/ and rhotic r-neutral. UK often uses /ˈpɒltɪs/ with shorter /ɒ/ and nonrhotic r; AU shares /ˈpɔːltɪs/ with a broader, longer /ɔː/ and a more open first vowel. Across all, the /lt/ cluster remains, but vowel length and quality shift. Ensure the /t/ is light, not a flap.
Difficulties center on the unstressed schwa-less second syllable and the /lt/ cluster, which can yield a feigned /l/ or a blended /lt/ sequence in rapid speech. The first syllable carries the main weight and a precise /oʊ/ or /ɒ/ vowel. Also, some speakers reduce the second syllable to /s/ or /ɪs/ in casual speech. Focus on maintaining a clean /t/ and full /l/ before the /t/.
Poultice has no silent letters in standard pronunciations. The letters correspond to /ˈpoʊltɪs/ (US) or /ˈpɒltɪs/ (UK). The 'e' at the end is not pronounced as a separate vowel; it influences the preceding vowel quality only through historical spelling, not in contemporary sound. The main tricky bits are the /tl/ sequence and the first-syllable diphthong.
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Poultice comes from Old French poultice, poultice, from Late Latin pulsāre ‘to beat’/pulsus, via a Germanic route where it stored the sense of a mashed or beaten mass applied to the body. The root idea is a soft, mashed or pounded preparation, often of herbs or bread, used topically. In Middle English, poultice referred specifically to a softened, leadingly bread-like or herb-laden mass laid on wounds. The word appears in medical and herbal compendia from the 14th century onward, maintaining its core sense as a warm, moist application intended to draw out impurities. Through centuries, poultice has remained a staple term in traditional medicine, even as modern medicine uses more precise topical treatments; the spelling has remained stable, while pronunciation has drifted with regional accents. Historically, poultice also intersected with terms like ‘poultice bread’ and ‘pulses’ in some languages, reflecting the practice of mashing ingredients into a paste for skin applications. The concept crosses cultures—many European and Asian medical texts describe fermented or mashed plant-based pastes for healing, each with local names but sharing the same practical aim: to deliver herbs and moisture to inflamed tissue. First known use in English is documented in the 14th century, with earlier Latin roots reflected in medical texts that described ‘pulsus’ and ‘pultus’ as beating or a mashed composite applied to the body.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Poultice" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Poultice" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Poultice"
-ice sounds
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