Dexedrine

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A prescription stimulant medication containing dextroamphetamine, used mainly to treat attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy
2. A central nervous system stimulant drug, based on dextroamphetamine, prescribed for attention disorders and excessive daytime sleepiness
3. Brand-name medicine whose active ingredient is dextroamphetamine, commonly given to manage hyperactivity and sleep disorders

Etymology: Dexedrine is a brand name, coined for a drug whose chemical name is dextroamphetamine. The "Dex-" prefix comes from "dextro-", the Latin-derived combining form meaning "right" or "on the right," which chemists use to mark the molecule's right-handed (dextrorotatory) form. The rest of the name, "-edrine," is a shortened echo of "ephedrine," the plant-derived stimulant that amphetamines were developed to resemble in their effects, and "amphetamine" itself derives from the chemical name for the alkylamine group it contains. The result is a name built to signal chemistry and stimulant action at once. Brand names of this kind were often assembled from fragments of a drug's scientific name, so the pharmaceutical company's chosen syllables told prescribers something about the compound before they read the label. The stem "dex" in particular is shared with other medicines in the same family, which is why the name reads as a member of a group rather than a freestanding invention.

Synonyms: dextroamphetamine