ketamine

[ kee-tuh-meen, -min ]

/ ˈki təˌmin, -mɪn /

noun Pharmacology.

a synthetic nonbarbiturate general anesthetic, C13H16ClNO, used to induce anesthesia, alone or in combination, in surgical or diagnostic procedures of short duration; extensively used in veterinary medicine.

Nearby words

Origin of ketamine

First recorded in 1965–70; ket- + -amine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ketamine

Strong pain medications such as morphine and ketamine did not help.
U.K. Courts Grant Mother Right to End Her 12-Year-Old Disabled Daughter’s Life|Elizabeth Picciuto|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He mentions drug use again (doing lines—probably of ketamine, a drug Bary references frequently).
An ISIS Killer in His Own Awful Words|Miranda Frum|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Alig became hooked on heroin, ketamine, cocaine, and Rohypnol—a stupefying blend of substances for the once sober partier.
The Party Monster Lives For the Applause: Michael Alig’s Second Act|Caitlin Dickson|February 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Everyone in Hollywood should go take his and her mistresses and concubines out for some celebratory Champagne and ketamine.
Newcomers Invade Emmys|Choire Sicha|August 30, 2010|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for ketamine

ketamine

/ (ˈkɛtəmiːn) /

noun

a drug, chemically related to PCP, that is used in medicine as a general anaesthetic, being administered by injection; cyclohexylamine

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 ketamine

ketamine

1966, from keto-, comb. form of ketone, + amine.

Medicine definitions for ketamine

ketamine

[ kē′tə-mēn′ ]

n.

A general anesthetic given intravenously or intramuscularly in the form of its hydrochloride that produces catatonia and profound analgesia with little relaxation of the skeletal muscles.

Science definitions for ketamine

ketamine

[ kē′tə-mēn′ ]

A general anesthetic given intravenously or intramuscularly in the form of its hydrochloride salt, used especially for minor surgical procedures in which skeletal muscle relaxation is not required.