Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Mucilage
1.
(Bot. Chem.)
A gummy or gelatinous substance produced in certain plants by the action of water on the cell wall, as in the seeds of quinces, of flax, etc.
2.
An aqueous solution of gum, or of substances allied to it; a glue; a liquid adhesive;
as, medicinal
mucilage
; mucilage
for fastening envelopes.Webster 1828 Edition
Mucilage
MU'CILAGE
,Noun.
1.
In chimistry, one of the proximate elements of vegetables. The same substance is a gum when solid, and a mucilage when in solution. Both the ingredients improve one another; for the mucilage adds to the lubricity of the oil, and the oil preserves the mucilage from inspissation.
Mucilage is obtained from vegetable or animal substances.
2.
The liquor which moistens and lubricates the ligaments and cartilages of the articulations or joints in animal bodies.