atropine

[ a-truh-peen, -pin ]

/ ˈæ trəˌpin, -pɪn /

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noun Pharmacology.

a poisonous crystalline alkaloid, C17H23NO3, obtained from belladonna and other plants of the nightshade family, that prevents the response of various body structures to certain types of nerve stimulation: used chiefly to relieve spasms, to lessen secretions, and, topically, to dilate the pupil of the eye.

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Origin of atropine

1830–40; <New Latin Atrop(a) belladonna genus (<Greek átropos;see Atropos) + -ine²

Words nearby atropine

atrocity, à trois, atrophic rhinitis, atrophied, atrophy, atropine, atropism, Atropos, atry, ATS, at sea

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use atropine in a sentence

Victims were treated with atropine, which was somewhat successful in combatting the symptoms.
Obama Administration Stiffs Chemical Survivors on New Claim|Josh Rogin, Noah Shachtman|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1832 Robiquet discovered codeine; and in 1833 atropine, aconitine, and hyoscyamine were distinguished by Geiger and Hesse.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection|Alexander Wynter Blyth
Atropine can be formed by uniting tropine and tropic acid, the two decomposition products already noted.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 415, December 15, 1883|Various
Visual acuteness on both sides 5/12, the left slightly better than the right; emmetropia in mydriasis by atropine.
Schweigger on Squint|C. Schweigger

If there be a tendency to convergence, glasses should be worn and atropine used.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
Other salts of Atropine are not described because used substantially like the above.
Merck's 1899 Manual|Merck & Co.

British Dictionary definitions for atropine

atropine

atropin (ˈætrəpɪn)

/ (ˈætrəˌpiːn, -pɪn) /

noun

a poisonous alkaloid obtained from deadly nightshade, having an inhibitory action on the autonomic nervous system. It is used medicinally in pre-anaesthetic medication, to speed a slow heart rate, and as an emergency first-aid counter to exposure to chemical warfare nerve agents. Formula: C 17 H 23 NO 3

Word Origin for atropine

C19: from New Latin atropa deadly nightshade, from Greek atropos unchangeable, inflexible; see Atropos

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

Scientific definitions for atropine

atropine

[ ăt′rə-pēn′, -pĭn ]

A poisonous, bitter, crystalline alkaloid derived from deadly nightshade and related plants. It is used as a drug to dilate the pupils of the eye and to inhibit muscle spasms. Chemical formula: C17H23NO3.