phenobarbital

especially British, phe·no·bar·bi·tone
especially British,

[fee-noh-bahr-bi-tawl, -tal, -nuh-]

noun

Pharmacology.

1. a white, crystalline powder, C 1 2 H 1 2 N 2 O 3 , used as a sedative, a hypnotic, and as an antispasmodic in epilepsy.

phenobarbital

/ ˌfiːnəʊˈbɑːbɪtəl /

noun

1. a white crystalline derivative of barbituric acid used as a sedative for treating insomnia and as an anticonvulsant in epilepsy. Formula: C 12 H 12 N 2 O 3

phenobarbital

1. A crystalline barbiturate used as a sedative and an anticonvulsant. Chemical formula: C ₁₂ H ₁₂ N ₂ O ₃ .

Word History and Origins

Origin of phenobarbital¹

First recorded in 1915–20; pheno- + barbital

Example Sentences

When he was about 6, he ingested gasoline, leaving him with seizures that for years had to be treated with phenobarbital.

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Soon after she arrived, a center staff member had delivered a shot full of phenobarbital and midazolam into her back haunch, to control the seizures.

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The local health department there found four doctors guilty of misconduct and improper use of phenobarbital on about 20 children.

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It remains unclear how the phenobarbital, a barbiturate often used to treat seizures and anxiety, or fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent, got in Grosso’s system.

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The Orange County Sheriff-Coroner’s office later determined his cause of death as acute polydrug intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl and phenobarbital.

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