Cerate is an unctuous preparation for external application, of a consistency intermediate between that of an ointment and a plaster, so that it can be spread upon cloth without the use of heat, but does not melt when applied to the skin.

Cerate consists essentially of wax (for which resin or spermaceti is sometimes substituted) mixed with oil, lard, and various medicinal ingredients. The cerate (formerly called simply cerate) of the United States Pharmacopoeia is a mixture of three parts of white wax and seven parts of lard.

It takes its name from its primary ingredient, wax, called in Latin cera.

References

• Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 Edition.