ATROPINE

atropine

(noun) a poisonous crystalline alkaloid extracted from the nightshade family; used as an antispasmodic and to dilate the eye pupil; also administered in large amounts as an antidote for organophosphate nerve agents or organophosphate insecticides

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

atropine (plural atropines)

(poison, pharmaceutical drug) An alkaloid extracted from the plant deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) and other sources, such as the seeds of the Thorn-apple. Though overdoses would be fatal it is used as a drug in medicine for its paralytic effects (e.g. in surgery to relax muscles, in dentistry to dry the mouth, in ophthalmology to dilate the pupils).

Anagrams

• apertion, apritone, entropia, operatin'

Source: Wiktionary


At"ro*pine, n. Etym: [Gr. (Chem.)

Definition: A poisonous, white, crystallizable alkaloid, extracted from the Atropa belladonna, or deadly nightshade, and the Datura Stramonium, or thorn apple. It is remarkable for its power in dilating the pupil of the eye. Called also daturine.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

26 June 2025

DISPIRITEDLY

(adverb) in a dispirited manner without hope; “the first Mozartian opera to be subjected to this curious treatment ran dispiritedly for five performances”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.

coffee icon