arnica

IPA/ˈɑːnɪkə/
IPA/ˈɑːrnɪkə/

arnica — noun

1. a yellow-flowered mountain plant, and the cream, gel, or oil prepared from its f

1.nounC2
Definition

a yellow-flowered mountain plant, and the cream, gel, or oil prepared from its flowers, which people rub on the skin to ease pain and swelling from bruises and small injuries.

Example

Farouk rubbed arnica cream on her knee after she slipped on the hiking trail.

collocation: arnica cream rubbed on bruise

The pharmacist in Geneva recommended arnica gel for the bruise on Lena's elbow.

collocation: recommend arnica for bruises

Common collocations
  • arnica cream
  • arnica gel
  • arnica ointment
  • arnica oil
  • apply arnica
  • rub arnica on
Synonyms
  • wolfsbane

    an older folk name for the same plant; rare in modern medical contexts

  • leopard's bane

    another traditional English name; sometimes used on herbal product labels

Grammar Patterns

arnica cream

arnica gel

arnica ointment

Usage Note

Usually uncountable when referring to the medicine (a tube of arnica, some arnica), but countable when referring to the plant itself (an arnica, several arnicas). Often used attributively before another noun: arnica cream, arnica gel, arnica oil.

Common Mistakes

I drank arnica for my bruise.
I rubbed arnica on my bruise.
arnica is applied to the skin, not swallowed; taking it by mouth in strong doses can be toxic.
She bought an arnica at the pharmacy.
She bought some arnica at the pharmacy.
when meaning the medicine, treat it as uncountable.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three are plant-based topical remedies that people in Europe and North America keep in the medicine cabinet, but they target different problems. Arnica is the go-to choice for blunt-impact injuries — the dull purple bruise after a fall, the soreness after a long run, the swelling around a sprained ankle. Witch hazel, by contrast, is an astringent: people dab it on with cotton wool to calm spots, oily skin, insect bites, or minor cuts. Calendula (sometimes labelled marigold) is the gentler option for raw, irritated skin — nappy rash, mild eczema, dry patches on a baby. So if Lena bumps her knee, arnica; if she has a pimple, witch hazel; if her newborn has a sore bottom, calendula.

arnica ↗witch hazelcalendula

Common collocations

Nouns

  • arnica cream
  • arnica gel
  • arnica ointment
  • arnica oil
  • arnica flowers
  • tube of arnica

Phrases

  • apply arnica
  • rub arnica on
  • a dab of arnica

Prepositions

  • arnica for (bruises)
  • arnica on (the skin)

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Arnica entered English in the eighteenth century as the scientific Latin name for a small group of yellow-flowered mountain plants. The Latin botanical term itself is of uncertain origin; one common guess traces it to Greek 'arnakis', meaning a lambskin, perhaps because the soft hairy leaves reminded early botanists of fleece. The plant has been used as a folk bruise remedy in the Alps for centuries, and the same name now covers both the plant and the cream made from it.