abortifacient

[ uh-bawr-tuh-fey-shuhnt ]

/ əˌbɔr təˈfeɪ ʃənt /

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adjective

causing abortion.

noun

a drug or device used to cause abortion: a biochemical abortifacient in pill form.

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Origin of abortifacient

First recorded in 1870–75; abort + -i- + -facient

Words nearby abortifacient

ab origine, Aborigines, aborning, abort, aborticide, abortifacient, abortion, abortionist, abortion-on-demand, abortion pill, abortive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use abortifacient in a sentence

This means if prosecutors want to go after a woman, they can claim the aspirin she took for a headache was an abortifacient.
The Critical Role of Public Defenders in a Post-Roe v. Wade World|Emily Galvin-Almanza|May 7, 2022|Time
But medical science is clear: emergency contraception is not an abortifacient.
Is Forced Religious Belief Coming to an Employer Near You?|Jamelle Bouie|November 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Unfavorable publicity, the abortifacient of new enterprises, would mean you could hardly give the stuff away.
Greener Than You Think|Ward Moore
It is also used as an abortifacient, but is too mild a uterine stimulant to be reliable for that purpose.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines|T. H. Pardo de Tavera

Amongst them must theoretically be included all abortifacient drugs.
Parenthood and Race Culture|Caleb Williams Saleeby
The oil of savin is now occasionally used criminally as an abortifacient.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 5|Various
It is sometimes taken as an abortifacient or given as an aphrodisiac, but whether it has any such action is open to question.
Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology|W. G. Aitchison Robertson

British Dictionary definitions for abortifacient

abortifacient

/ (əˌbɔːtɪˈfeɪʃənt) /

adjective

causing abortion

noun

a drug or agent that causes abortion

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