Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Elater \El"a*ter\, n. (Chem.)
   The active principle of elaterium, being found in the juice
   of the wild or squirting cucumber ({Ecballium agreste},
   formerly {Motordica Elaterium}) and other related species. It
   is extracted as a bitter, white, crystalline substance, which
   is a violent purgative.