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.

QUIZZES

THIS WEEK’S WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ IS POSITIVELY FELICIFIC

Do you study our Words of the Day with great assiduity? See how many you remember from March 30 to April 5!

Question 1 of 7

transliterate

to remove or destroy all traces of.

to change (letters, words, etc.), into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language.

to explain in terms that can be more easily understood.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ketamine

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

Words nearby ketamine

kestrel, keswick, ket, ket-, keta, ketamine, ketch, ketch-rigged, ketchikan, ketchup, kete

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences 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

Medical 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.

Scientific 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.