a. Also 7 apperitive, 6–8 aperative. [variant of APERTIVE, after mod.Fr. apéritif, -ive, older Fr. apertif, med.L. apertīvus and aperitīvus, It. apertivo and aperitivo.]

1

  A.  adj. † 1. Tending to open. Obs. rare.

2

1685.  Boyle, Free Enq., 381. Its [a key’s] Power of opening a Door (which, perhaps, some School-Men would call its aperitive Faculty).

3

  2.  Med. Tending to open the bowels; aperient.

4

1582.  Hester, Phiorav. Secr., I. xvi. 16. Warme and drie and aperatiue.

5

1603.  Florio, Montaigne, II. xxxvii. (1632), 434. Aperitive things are good for a man thats troubled with the collike.

6

1853.  Soyer, Pantroph., 167. Smallage is diuretic and aperitive.

7

  B.  sb. [sc. medicine, article of diet.]

8

1671.  Salmon, Syn. Med., III. xvi. 361. Apperitives … open the mouths of the vessels.

9

1727.  Swift, Gulliver, III. vi. 216. Administer to each of them aperitives.

10

1841.  Chamb. Jrnl., X. 260/1. The other physicians … all insisted on the use of the strongest aperitives.

11