anticholinergic

[an-ti-koh-luh-nur-jik, -kol-uh-]Biochemistry, Pharmacology

adjective

of or relating to a substance that opposes the effects of acetylcholine; interfering with the passage of parasympathetic nerve impulses.Compare cholinolytic.

noun

an anticholinergic substance, as a drug.

Origin of anticholinergic

1940–45; anti- + cholinergic, equivalent to choline + -ergic

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

British Dictionary definitions for anticholinergic

anticholinergic

adjective

physiol blocking nerve impulses through the parasympathetic nerves

noun

med a drug or agent that blocks these nerve impulses, used to control intestinal spasm, increase the heart rate, dilate the pupils for examination of the eyes, dry secretions in anaesthesia, and in some forms to treat Alzheimer's disease

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

anticholinergic in Medicine

anticholinergic

[ăn′tē-kō′lə-nûr′jĭk, ăn′tī-]

n.

An agent that is antagonistic to the action of parasympathetic or other cholinergic nerve fibers.