atropine

[a-truh-peen, -pin]

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.

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

Contemporary Examples of 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

Historical Examples of atropine

One contains no quinine at all—it is all morphine and atropine.
The Silent Bullet
Arthur B. Reeve
Atropine is used in veterinary practice, from 32·4 to 64·8 mgrms.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection
Alexander Wynter Blyth
Atropine or curare have no influence on the heart thus poisoned.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection
Alexander Wynter Blyth
After the atropine no lymph-flow occurs on stimulating the nerve.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 2
Various
As for your betrothed, you shall give him a dose of curare or atropine.
Marie Tarnowska
Annie Vivanti

British Dictionary definitions for atropine

atropine

atropin (ˈætrəpɪn)

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

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).

atropine in Medicine

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.

atropine in Science

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.