Secobarbital

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A barbiturate compound used as a sedative and hypnotic to induce sleep or reduce anxiety in medical treatments; a short-acting drug that depresses the central nervous system; an agent sometimes employed for anesthesia or seizure control
2. A medication classified as a barbiturate that produces calming and sleep-inducing effects; a fast-acting substance utilized to lessen nervousness or assist with insomnia; a pharmacological depressant affecting brain activity for therapeutic purposes
3. A short-duration barbiturate utilized to tranquilize patients and promote sleep; a chemical compound that slows nervous system function to alleviate tension or aid surgical anesthesia; a drug occasionally used to manage seizures or induce sedation

Etymology: Secobarbital is a chemical name built by blending two drug names. The first half comes from Seconal, a trademark for a sedative that was marketed under that name. The second half comes from pentobarbital, a related barbiturate. Chemists and pharmacologists used this kind of blend to show that a compound belonged to the same family as a known drug while still naming its own structure. The "-barbital" ending points back to barbital, the first barbiturate, whose name in turn echoes barbituric acid and the story of its name. Seconal's own name reflects the chemistry of its family, and the "sec-" in secobarbital reflects the sedative's relationship to that trademark. Together the two halves place the drug in a recognizable group of sleep-inducing medicines.

Synonyms: seconal, secobarbital sodium