abortifacient

[ uh-bawr-tuh-fey-shuh nt ]

/ əˌbɔr təˈfeɪ ʃənt /

adjective

causing abortion.

noun

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

Nearby words

Origin of abortifacient

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for abortifacient

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
The oil of savin is now occasionally used criminally as an abortifacient.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 5|Various
Diachylon, or lead-plaster, is largely used as an abortifacient.
Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology|W. G. Aitchison Robertson
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

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

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

Word Origin and History for abortifacient

abortifacient

1875, noun and adjective, from Latin abortus (see abortive) + facientem "making," related to facere "do" (see factitious). An earlier word for this in the noun sense was abortive (1640s).

Medicine definitions for abortifacient

abortifacient

[ ə-bôr′tə-fā′shənt ]

adj.

Causing or inducing abortion.

Related formsa•bor′ti•fa′cient n.