Agrypnotics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Substances or agents used to prevent or treat sleeplessness or insomnia by inducing or promoting sleep
2. Compounds that alleviate or counteract inability to sleep by facilitating restful slumber
3. Medicines or remedies designed to reduce wakefulness and support the onset and maintenance of normal sleep patterns

Etymology: "Agrypnotics" is the plural of "agrypnotic," a noun for drugs that combat insomnia. The root is the Greek "ágrypnos," meaning sleepless, built from "a-," a negating prefix, and "hypnos," sleep, the same stem that gives English "hypnosis" and "hypnotic." The Greek adjective was formed by taking away sleep, so the word names the condition rather than the cure. The English form follows the pattern of many medical terms that were coined from classical Greek roots. Because the word is a technical coinage built from Greek parts, it reflects the scientific vocabulary of pharmacology rather than ancient usage, and the ancient Greeks themselves did not use it to name medicines.