pilocarpine

American  

[pahy-luh-kahr-peen, -pin, pil-uh-] / ˌpaɪ ləˈkɑr pin, -pɪn, ˌpɪl ə- /

noun

Pharmacology.

1. an oil or crystalline alkaloid, C 1 1 H 1 6 N 2 O 2 , obtained from jaborandi, and used chiefly to produce sweating, promote the flow of saliva, contract the pupil of the eye, and for glaucoma.

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pilocarpine British  

/ ˌpaɪləʊˈkɑːpaɪn, -pɪn, ˌpaɪləʊˈkɑːpɪn /

noun

1. an alkaloid extracted from the leaves of the jaborandi tree, formerly used to induce sweating. Formula: C 11 H 16 N 2 O 2

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Etymology

Origin of pilocarpine

1870–75; < New Latin Pilocarp ( us ) name of the genus of shrubs which includes jaborandi (< Greek pîlo ( s ) felt, wool or hair made into felt + -o- -o- + -karpos -carp ) + -ine ¹

Example Sentences

The drops, meant to be used once a day, contain a drug called pilocarpine that contracts the pupil to create the pinhole effect, limiting extraneous light rays from entering the eye with their extraneous information.

From Washington Post • Jul. 17, 2022

Several of the drops, including Vuity, shrink pupils with the same active ingredient: a drug called pilocarpine with a long history as a treatment for glaucoma.

From Scientific American • Feb. 15, 2022

These patches contained pilocarpine nitrate, a substance that initiates sweating.

From New York Times • Jul. 26, 2017

The antidote for atropine or scopolamine poisoning is pilocarpine.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

But lately a diaphoretic which far surpasses these in efficiency has been discovered in pilocarpine, the active principle of jaborandi.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various