He*pat"ic (?), a. [L. hepaticus,
Gr. ?, fr. ? the liver; akin to L. jecur, Skr.
yak?t: cf. F. hépatique.] 1.
Of or pertaining to the liver; as, hepatic artery;
hepatic diseases.
2. Resembling the liver in color or in form;
as, hepatic cinnabar.
3. (Bot.) Pertaining to, or
resembling, the plants called Hepaticæ, or scale mosses
and liverworts.
Hepatic duct (Anat.), any biliary
duct; esp., the duct, or one of the ducts, which carries the bile
from the liver to the cystic and common bile ducts. See
Illust., under Digestive. -- Hepatic
gas (Old Chem.), sulphureted hydrogen gas.
-- Hepatic mercurial ore, or Hepatic
cinnabar. See under Cinnabar.