noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A white crystalline bitter alkaloid, chemical formula C₂₉H₄₀N₂O₄, extracted from ipecacuanha root, and formerly used in the treatment of amebic infections and as an emetic in aversion therapy. uncountable

   "During a 10-year period the sanitarium treated 2,323 patients (93% were men) by the emetine method."

Synonyms

All synonyms

methylcephaeline

Example

More examples

"During a 10-year period the sanitarium treated 2,323 patients (93% were men) by the emetine method."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἔμετος (émetos, “vomiting”) + -ine.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.