benzocaine

[ben-zoh-keyn]

noun

Pharmacology.

1. ethyl aminobenzoate; a white, crystalline powder, C 9 H 11 NO 2 , used as a local anesthetic, usually in ointment form.

benzocaine

/ ˈbɛnzəʊˌkeɪn /

noun

1. a white crystalline ester used as a local anaesthetic; ethyl para -aminobenzoate. Formula: C 9 H 11 NO 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of benzocaine¹

First recorded in 1920–25; benzo- + (co)caine

Example Sentences

“A common cause of exposure that can lead to methemoglobinemia is dental procedures because one of the medicines that they’ll give for patients that have dental pain is benzocaine,” Wilkerson said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He said this may be an unintended consequence of the government’s recent clampdown on cutting agents such as benzocaine.

Read more on BBC

Warren said the condition had been triggered by a numbing agent containing benzocaine.

Read more on The Guardian

Doctors determined the woman developed methemoglobinemia after using “large amounts” of topical benzocaine, which she said she used the night before her hospital visit.

Read more on Fox News

But there was something in those little brown squares — the supplement first included benzocaine, an oral anesthetic that would presumably numb the taste buds.

Read more on Washington Post