Anadrol

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A prescription anabolic steroid, oxymetholone, sold under the name Anadrol and used to treat anemia and muscle-wasting conditions
2. The brand name for oxymetholone, an androgenic steroid prescribed for certain blood disorders and to build lean body mass
3. A synthetic anabolic steroid marketed as Anadrol, used medically against anemia and sometimes misused by athletes to boost muscle growth

Etymology: "Anadrol" is a trade name, not an old word. It belongs to oxymetholone, a synthetic steroid developed as a drug to build up the body, and drug brand names are invented for their sound and marketability rather than drawn from classical roots. The name is probably built from fragments of the medical vocabulary around the drug. The opening "ana-" likely echoes "anabolic," from Greek "anabolē," meaning a "throwing up" or "building up," which describes the drug's purpose of promoting tissue growth. The ending "-drol" likely nods to "androgen," the class of hormones that includes testosterone, since the drug is a synthetic androgen. Brand-name makers often blend such recognizable pieces into a single memorable word, and that seems to be what happened here, though the exact choice of letters is not documented in what I can confirm.