papaverine

[puh-pav-uh-reen, -er-in, puh-pey-vuh-reen, -ver-in]

See more synonyms for papaverine on Thesaurus.com

noun Pharmacology.

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.

Origin of papaverine

1855–60; < Latin papāver poppy + -ine²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for papaverine

heroin, opiate, drug, poppy, morphine, dope, hypnotic, soporific, tar, codeine, papaverine

Examples from the Web for papaverine

Historical Examples of papaverine

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

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

Word Origin for papaverine

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]

A nonaddictive opium derivative used medicinally to relieve spasms of smooth muscle.