nicotinic

American  

[nik-uh-tin-ik, -tee-nik] / ˌnɪk əˈtɪn ɪk, -ˈti nɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or containing nicotine.

2. related to or imitating the action of nicotine on neurons, especially in blocking the cholinergic receptors of the autonomic ganglia.

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Other Word Forms

• nonnicotinic adjective

Etymology

Origin of nicotinic

First recorded in 1870–75; nicotine + -ic

Example Sentences

“If you’re right here at the top of the curve, functioning at a high level, if I flog your nicotinic receptors, you’re actually going to have a decline in performance,” he adds.

From Slate

What we know now is that nicotine is a chemical compound that acts on receptors in the brain called nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs.

From Slate

Niacin, also called Vitamin B3 or nicotinic acid, is vital for their metabolism.

From Reuters

That missing vitamin was nicotinic acid, later known as niacin, and it helps us evade pellagra.

From Salon

Mikhailova said the prison paramedic prescribed diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug, and nicotinic acid, which have not been used “in medicine for 30 years.”

From Washington Post