Metoclopramide

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌmɛt.əˈkləʊ.pɹə.mʌɪd/

Definitions

1. A drug designed to relieve symptoms of nausea and vomiting by stimulating digestive tract movement and facilitating stomach emptying, frequently used after surgery or chemotherapy
2. A pharmaceutical agent used to reduce feelings of nausea and vomiting by enhancing the motion of the gastrointestinal tract and promoting faster stomach emptying
3. A treatment that helps alleviate sick sensation and vomiting through acceleration of digestive tract activity and speeding up stomach clearance

Etymology: Metoclopramide is a coinage, not an ancient word, and its name is a deliberate blend of chemical fragments. It was borrowed into English from French "métoclopramide", which was itself built from three pieces: "métho(xy)", "chlo(ro)" and "pr(ocaïn)amide". Each fragment marks a chemical feature of the molecule. The "methoxy" group and the "chloro" group are substituents on its ring structure, and the "procainamide" fragment points to a related drug whose amide chemistry the new compound resembled. The name therefore works like a chemical formula written out in syllables. Pharmaceutical names of this era were often assembled this way, so that a chemist could read something about the molecule's structure from the label alone. The result is long and clinical, but each part carries a specific meaning rather than being arbitrary.