acetylcysteine

[ uh-seet-l-sis-tee-een, -in, uh-set-, as-i-tl- ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a substance, C 5 H 9 NO 3 S, used in solution as an inhalant to dissolve mucus in the treatment of chronic bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema and also used as an antidote in acetaminophen poisoning.

Word History and Origins

Origin of acetylcysteine¹

acetyl + cysteine