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hepatic

American  
[hi-pat-ik] / hɪˈpæt ɪk /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the liver.

  2. acting on the liver, as a medicine.

  3. liver-colored; dark reddish-brown.

  4. Botany. belonging or pertaining to the liverworts.


noun

  1. a medicine acting on the liver.

  2. a liverwort.

hepatic British  
/ hɪˈpætɪk /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the liver

  2. botany of or relating to the liverworts

  3. having the colour of liver

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. obsolete any of various drugs for use in treating diseases of the liver

  2. a less common name for a liverwort

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
hepatic Scientific  
/ hĭ-pătĭk /
  1. Relating to or involving the liver.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of hepatic

1350–1400; Middle English epatik ≪ Latin hēpaticus < Greek hēpatikós. See hepato-, -ic

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:

Towle was not shy about showing her stomach, where she had a hepatic artery pump implanted, on social media.

From BBC Aug. 6, 2026

Researchers observed no cases of drug-induced liver injury, and there was no hepatic safety signal.

From Barron's May 4, 2026

The FDA flagged a case of hepatic failure in a 56-year-old man using Eli Lilly’s weight-loss medication.

From Barron's May 4, 2026

They also showed how Netrin-1 activates hepatic stellate cells, which are involved in liver fibrosis, a serious chronic disease, priming the liver as a host for cancer.

From Science Daily Nov. 16, 2023

Scientists of the Food and Drug Administration who reported the discovery of these tumors were uncertain how to classify them, but felt there was some “justification for considering them low grade hepatic cell carcinomas.”

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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