parmacety

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   obsolete: spermaceti, the white waxy substance obtained from the head of a sperm whale

   Early physicians praised parmacety as a remedy for inward bruises.

2. 2
   noun

   obsolete: a sperm whale

   The old sailor swore that a monstrous parmacety had smashed the boat.

An archaic alteration of spermaceti; period spellings include parmacetty and parmaceti. The second sense arose by metonymy, transferring the name of the waxy substance to the sperm whale from which it was obtained.

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