hepatic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the liver.
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acting on the liver, as a medicine.
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liver-colored; dark reddish-brown.
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Botany. belonging or pertaining to the liverworts.
noun
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a medicine acting on the liver.
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a liverwort.
adjective
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of or relating to the liver
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botany of or relating to the liverworts
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having the colour of liver
noun
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obsolete any of various drugs for use in treating diseases of the liver
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a less common name for a liverwort
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hepatic
1350–1400; Middle English epatik ≪ Latin hēpaticus < Greek hēpatikós. See hepato-, -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Foundayo’s label carries a warning that the medication is “not recommended for use in patients with severe hepatic impairment,”while noting that patients with mild or moderate liver impairment still can take a standard dose.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
Researchers observed no cases of drug-induced liver injury, and there was no hepatic safety signal.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
This contrast suggests that genetic background plays a central role in shaping which metabolites appear in the hepatic portal vein.
From Science Daily • Dec. 14, 2025
They also showed how Netrin-1 activates hepatic stellate cells, which are involved in liver fibrosis, a serious chronic disease, priming the liver as a host for cancer.
From Science Daily • Nov. 16, 2023
I am, moreover, constitutionally unable to make hepatic decisions, and I prefer not to be obliged to, ever.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
