Aciclovir
//eɪˈsʌɪ.klə(ʊ)ˌvɪə// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A cyclic synthetic nucleoside C₈H₁₁N₅O₃ used as an antiviral drug (trademarks Avirax, Zovirax) chiefly in the treatment of chicken pox, shingles, the genital form of herpes simplex, and AIDS. uncountable
"In cells infected with the herpes virus, acyclovir is converted to a metabolic blocking agent, thereby largely overcoming the old and plaguing problem of toxicity to the host."
Example
More examples"In cells infected with the herpes virus, acyclovir is converted to a metabolic blocking agent, thereby largely overcoming the old and plaguing problem of toxicity to the host."
Etymology
From acyclo(guanosine) + -vir (“antiviral”).
Related phrases
More for "aciclovir"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.