acyclovir

[ ey-sahy-kloh-veer, -kluh- ]

/ eɪˈsaɪ kloʊˌvɪər, -klə- /

noun Pharmacology.

a crystalline compound, C18H11N5O3, used as an antiviral drug in the treatment of herpes infections.

Nearby words

acyanotic, acyclic, acyclic compound, acyclic terpene, acycloguanosine, acyclovir, acyl, acyl anhydride, acyl coa, acyl coenzyme a, acyl group

Origin of acyclovir

1980–85; perhaps acyclo(guanosine) an earlier name for the compound (a-⁶ + cyclo- + guanosine a nucleotide) + vir(us) or vir(al)

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

Medicine definitions for acyclovir

acyclovir

[ ā-sī′klō-vîr, -klə- ]

n.

A synthetic purine nucleoside analog that is derived from guanine and is used in the treatment of herpes simplex, herpes zoster, and varicella zoster viral infections.acycloguanosine