[ noun ] a medical dressing consisting of a soft heated mass of meal or clay that is spread on a cloth and applied to the skin to treat inflamed areas or improve circulation etc. <noun.artifact>
Cataplasm \Cat"a*plasm\, n. [L. cataplasma, Gr. ?, fr. ? to spread over; kata` down, wholly + ? to form, mold.] (Med.) A soft and moist substance applied externally to some part of the body; a poultice. --Dunglison.