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.
The FDA flagged a case of hepatic failure in a 56-year-old man using Eli Lilly’s weight-loss medication.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
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
When used together, silybin and carvedilol sharply reduced collagen production and stellate cell activation in human and rat cell cultures, as well as in primary hepatic stellate cells.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 6, 2026
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
Father Nicanor was in bed with hepatic fever.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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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.