Antiemetic

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌænti.əˈmɛtɪk/

Definitions

1. A medication or substance that prevents or relieves nausea and vomiting
2. A substance used to counteract nausea and vomiting caused by different conditions and treatments
3. A drug or agent that helps stop or reduce the feeling of nausea and the act of vomiting

Etymology: Antiemetic is a plain compound: the Greek prefix "anti-", meaning "against", attached to "emetic", a word for something that induces vomiting. Put together, the sense is literally "against vomiting," which is exactly what the drug or agent does. The Greek prefix is itself a fairly ordinary building block, so the interest here lies less in the pieces than in how the combination reads: a medical term that names its purpose directly in its construction. The word works as both a noun and an adjective. As a noun it names the substance, as in a drug taken before a long journey. As an adjective it describes things with that effect, such as an antiemetic dose or an antiemetic property. Both uses follow the same logic, with the prefix doing the work of opposition and the root carrying the idea of sickness and expulsion.

Synonyms: nausea remedy, vomiting suppressant, antivomiting agent, anti-nausea drug, medication