aspirin
Americannoun
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Pharmacology. a white, crystalline substance, C 9 H 8 O 4 , derivative of salicylic acid, used as an anti-inflammatory agent and to relieve the pain of headache, rheumatism, gout, neuralgia, etc.; acetylsalicylic acid.
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an aspirin tablet.
I took two aspirin and went right to bed.
noun
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Chemical name: acetylsalicylic acid. a white crystalline compound widely used in the form of tablets to relieve pain and fever, to reduce inflammation, and to prevent strokes. Formula: CH 3 COOC 6 H 4 COOH
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a tablet of aspirin
Closer Look
Ninety percent of the population experiences at least one headache each year. The most common type is a tension headache, which is caused by stress and is characterized by tightening of the muscles in the base of the neck and along the scalp. Aspirin alleviates headaches by blocking the body's production of prostaglandins, hormones that contribute to pain by stimulating muscle contraction and blood vessel dilation. For thousands of years, people chewed the bark of willow trees to control headache and other pain. The study of the properties of this medicinal plant led German chemist Hermann Kolbe to synthesize acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), a building block of aspirin, in 1859. A pure form of ASA wasn't prepared until 1897, by Felix Hoffman, a chemist in the Bayer chemical factory in Germany. After publication of successful clinical trials, aspirin was distributed in powder form in 1899 and as a tablet in 1900. Aspirin possesses a number of properties that make it one of the most recommended drugs. Besides being an analgesic, or pain reliever, it also reduces inflammation that often accompanies injuries or diseases, such as arthritis. It is also an antipyretic compound, or fever reducer. Aspirin is the only over-the-counter analgesic approved for prevention of cardiovascular disease. New research suggests that aspirin may also decrease the risk of some forms of stroke. Additional studies indicate that aspirin may play a role in reducing the risks of ovarian cancer.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of aspirin
First recorded in 1899; originally a German trademark, equivalent to A(cetyl) + Spir(säure) “salicylic acid” + -in noun suffix; see acetyl, spirea, -in 2
Explanation
Aspirin is a medicine you might take when you have a headache. You can buy aspirin at a drug store, supermarket, or convenience store. Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory drug — it reduces pain, swelling, and fever. Some people take aspirin in very small amounts to reduce the risk of having a stroke or heart attack, and since the late 1800s people have taken it to ease the pain of head and body aches. The word aspirin, coined by a German chemist, was originally a trademarked brand name, from the Latin Spiraea, the plant from which aspirin's chemicals were originally extracted.
Vocabulary lists containing aspirin
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The findings may help explain why commonly prescribed stroke prevention medications such as aspirin and other antiplatelet drugs have had limited success in preventing this type of stroke.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026
What’s with the CT scans he’s been getting, and why is he taking so much aspirin?
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
Physicians also said the report lacked detail on Trump’s leg swelling and current aspirin dosage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
Bruising on Trump's hand was explained in the report as being "consistent with minor soft tissue irritation related to frequent handshaking" while taking aspirin for "cardiovascular prevention".
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
It was only with aspirin and something Fay concocted for me that I was able to finish my linguistic analysis of Urdu verb forms and send the paper to the International Linguistics Bulletin.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
“Auntie Dosie had to have three aspirins, but Auntie Hannah, who liked port, stood in the middle of the snowbound back yard, singing like a big-bosomed thrush.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
"The next morning, when I started having the symptoms and I clearly knew what was going on, she put one of those aspirins inside of my tongue and that saved my life," said Banderas.
From Fox News ● Nov. 1, 2019
While there are no $10 aspirins, there’s not much in the way of other amenities, either.
From Slate ● Jan. 28, 2014
Federer's expression suggested he had been forced to suck aspirins.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 15, 2010
She said nothing to us in the kitchen as she swallowed two aspirins with a gulp of water.
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
