1. A preparation made from dried blister beetles, historically used in medicine and as a poison; also called Spanish fly.
Usage: plural form; singular is 'cantharis'; archaic/historical medical usage; toxic substance
2. The blister beetles themselves, especially those of the genus Lytta, from which the toxic substance is derived.
Usage: entomological term; plural form

Examples

• Cantharides was once prescribed by physicians as a supposed cure for various ailments.
• The beetles known as cantharides produce a caustic secretion used historically in folk medicine.
• Medieval alchemists experimented with cantharides in their attempts to create universal remedies.
• Cantharides is highly toxic and should never be ingested without medical supervision.
• The active compound in cantharides, cantharidin, causes severe blistering of the skin.