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papaverine

[puh-pav-uh-reen, -er-in, puh-pey-vuh-reen, -ver-in]
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noun Pharmacology.
  1. a white, crystalline, nonnarcotic, alkaloidal powder, C20H21NO4, obtained from opium, but not a morphine derivative and not habit-forming or addicting, used in the treatment of spasms of involuntary muscle, especially of the stomach, bronchi, and arteries.
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Origin of papaverine

1855–60; < Latin papāver poppy + -ine2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for papaverine

Historical Examples

  • These compounds with iodine are decomposed by ammonia and potash, papaverine separating.

    Poisons: Their Effects and Detection

    Alexander Wynter Blyth

  • Papaverine, laudanosine, narcotine, and narceine are four other alkaloids found in opium.

    The Chemistry of Plant Life

    Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

British Dictionary definitions for papaverine

papaverine

noun
  1. a white crystalline almost insoluble alkaloid found in opium and used as an antispasmodic to treat coronary spasms and certain types of colic. Formula: C 20 H 21 NO 4
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Word Origin

C19: from Latin papāver poppy
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
papaverine in Medicine

papaverine

(pə-păv′ə-rēn′, -ər-ĭn)
n.
  1. A nonaddictive opium derivative used medicinally to relieve spasms of smooth muscle.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.