Antiserotonergic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An agent that inhibits the effects of serotonin in the body
2. A substance that blocks serotonin receptors to reduce its physiological actions
3. Characterizing compounds that counteract or diminish the influence of serotonin in neural activity

Etymology: "Antiserotonergic" is a plain technical formation: the prefix "anti-", meaning "against" or "opposed to", joined to "serotonergic," which describes things that act on or through serotonin. The result describes substances or effects that block or counteract serotonin's activity in the body. The base word "serotonergic" is itself built from "serotonin," the name of the neurotransmitter, and the Greek-derived suffix "-ergic," which relates to action or working, as in "adrenergic." Pharmacology has long used this family of "-ergic" adjectives to classify drugs by the chemical messengers they affect. Because "antiserotonergic" simply stacks a familiar prefix onto that established pharmacological term, it is a transparent coinage with no older sense to trace. Its meaning follows directly from its parts.