atropine

[ a-truh-peen, -pin ]

/ ˈæ trəˌpin, -pɪn /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of atropine

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

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

Examples from the Web for atropine

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
An attempt should be made to get the pupil thoroughly dilated with atropine.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1|Various
Chronic poisoning by atropine may, from what has been stated, be of great importance in India.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection|Alexander Wynter Blyth
It was first obtained in the form of needles, which were much more soluble than atropine.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 324, March 18, 1882|Various

The antidote to this poison, as given by Mr. Gibson, is one sixtieth grain doses of atropine in hypodermic injections.
The Century Cook Book|Mary Ronald
They are all, like atropine, mydriatic alkaloids, so-called from the effect on the eye.
The Social Gangster|Arthur B. Reeve

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

Word Origin and History for atropine

atropine

1836, from Latin atropa "deadly nightshade" (from which the alkaloid poison is extracted), from Greek atropos "inflexible," also the name of one of the Fates (see Atropos) + chemical suffix -ine (2).

Medicine definitions for atropine

atropine

[ ăt′rə-pēn′, -pĭn ]

n.

An alkaloid obtained from belladonna and related plants, used to dilate the pupils of the eyes and as an antispasmodic, antisudorific, and anticholinergic.

Science 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.