emetine

American

[em-i-teen, -tin] / ˈɛm ɪˌtin, -tɪn /

noun

Pharmacology.

a crystalline or white powdery substance, C 29 H 40 N 2 O 4 , the active principle of ipecac: used chiefly in the treatment of amebic dysentery and as an emetic and expectorant.

emetine British

/ ˈɛmətɪn, ˈɛməˌtiːn, -tɪn /

noun

a white bitter poisonous alkaloid obtained from ipecacuanha: the hydrochloride is used to treat amoebic infections. Formula: C 29 H 40 O 4 N 2

"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

Etymology

Origin of emetine

1810–20; < Greek émet ( os ) vomiting + -ine ²; compare French émétine

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023