meliorantn.
/ˈmiːlɪərənt/, U.S. /ˈmiljər(ə)nt/, /ˈmiliər(ə)nt/ A thing that makes something better; an improver; = ameliorant n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > improvement > [noun] > that which improves
plough1526
improver1651
ameliorator1794
ameliorative1816
meliorant1920
upgrade1979
1920 G. Saintsbury Notes on Cellar-bk. 102 I am afraid that the ‘whets’ of our ancestors were rather stimulants to drinking..than meliorants of appreciation.
1984 T. C. Boyle Budding Prospects (1985) iv. iv. 282 Restless, he made a twenty-four-hour run to Tahoe for pharmaceutical meliorants.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1920