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abortifacient

American  
[uh-bawr-tuh-fey-shuhnt] / əˌbɔr təˈfeɪ ʃənt /

adjective

  1. causing abortion.


noun

  1. a drug or device used to cause abortion.

    a biochemical abortifacient in pill form.

abortifacient British  
/ əˌbɔːtɪˈfeɪʃənt /

adjective

  1. causing 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

noun

  1. 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

Etymology

Origin of abortifacient

First recorded in 1870–75; abort + -i- + -facient ( def. )

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:

Another compound, ulipristal acetate, held similar promise as an emergency contraceptive and fibroid treatment without the baggage of abortifacient branding.

From The Verge Jul. 23, 2022

Tennant’s handbook prescribes angelica, an herb known to be an effective abortifacient in the early stages of pregnancy for thousands of years, and which was frequently recommended across early modern herbal books.

From Slate May 5, 2022

She was writing to her lover, Henry Anderson Lafler, and relating to him — in real time — the effects of the drugstore-bought abortifacient that was now ending the pregnancy they had conceived together.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 19, 2021

Most surprisingly, however, these medical practices were not only relegated to herbal, pharmaceutical contraceptives and abortifacient drugs, but also the various surgical interventions, what today we would refer to as a late-term abortion.

From Scientific American Dec. 11, 2020

It is also used as an abortifacient, but is too mild a uterine stimulant to be reliable for that purpose.

From The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by Jerome Beers Thomas

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