acyclovir

[ ey-sahy-kloh-veer, -kluh- ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a crystalline compound, C 18 H 11 N 5 O 3 , used as an antiviral drug in the treatment of herpes infections.

Word History and Origins

Origin of acyclovir¹

1980–85; perhaps acyclo(guanosine) an earlier name for the compound ( a- ⁶ + cyclo- + guanosine a nucleotide) + vir(us) or vir(al)