aciclovir

English

Chemical structure of aciclovir

Alternative forms

• acyclovir, acycloguanosine

Etymology

From acyclo(guanosine) +‎ -vir (“antiviral”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /eɪˈsʌɪ.klə(ʊ)ˌvɪə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /eɪˈsaɪ.kloʊˌvɪɹ/

Noun

aciclovir (uncountable)

2. (pharmacology) 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.
   • 1997, Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Folio Society, published 2016, page 443:

     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.

   • 2005, Donald Hall, The Best Day the Worst Day: Life with Jane Kenyon, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, →ISBN, page 98:

     From the description, Letha felt sure Jane had herpes zoster, or shingles, which often strikes cancer patients or others with depressed immune systems. Jane spent another week in the Bubble, treated with acyclovir.

Derived terms

• bicyclic heterocycle compound
• -ciclovir
• valaciclovir

 

Translations

Translations

• Armenian: ացիկլովիր (acʻiklovir)
• Bashkir: ацикловир (atsiklovir)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 阿昔洛韋／阿昔洛韦 (zh) (xīluòwéi), 無環鳥苷／无环鸟苷 (wúhuán niǎogān)

• Finnish: asikloviiri
• French: acyclovir (fr) m
• Galician: aciclovir m
• German: Aciclovir m
• Greek: ακυκλοβίρη f (akyklovíri)
• Indonesian: asiklovir
• Japanese: アシクロビル (ashikurobiru)
• Kazakh: ацикловир (asiklovir)
• Korean: 아시클로버 (asikeullobeo)
• Kyrgyz: ацикловир (atsiklovir)
• Malayalam: എസിക്ലോവിർ (esiklōviṟ)
• Odia: ଆସାଇକ୍ଲୋଭିର (asaiklobhirô)
• Persian: اسیکلوویر
• Polish: acyklowir (pl) m
• Telugu: ఎసిక్లోవిర్ (esiklōvir)
• Thai: อะไซโคลเวียร์
• Turkish: asiklovir

References

• “acyclovir”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “acyclovir”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.