Fenamate

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A category of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used primarily to alleviate pain and reduce inflammation through inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis
2. An analgesic and anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical class that acts by blocking enzymes involved in the production of chemicals responsible for swelling and discomfort
3. A group of medications employed to treat mild to moderate pain and inflammatory conditions by interfering with the body's pain and inflammation signaling pathways

Etymology: Fenamates are named after their chemical parent, fenamic acid, a compound built from a phenyl group attached to anthranilic acid. The name is a deliberate chemical coinage, not an ancient or everyday word, and the ending "-ate" follows the chemists' convention for salts and esters of an acid. Each drug in the class is a derivative of that acid, so the group takes its name from the shared structure. Anthranilic acid's name points back to indigo. Its root is "anil," a word for the indigo plant that passed into European languages from Sanskrit "nīla," meaning dark blue, by way of Arabic and Portuguese. The chemical name therefore preserves a trace of the dye trade, even though the drugs themselves have nothing to do with colour.

Synonyms: fenamic acid, NSAID