cimetidine

English

Chemical structure of cimetidine

Etymology

From cy(ano)- +‎ meth- +‎ (guan)idine.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /saɪˈmɛt.ɪ.diːn/

Noun

cimetidine (countable and uncountable, plural cimetidines)

1. (pharmacology) A histamine H₂-receptor antagonist that inhibits the production of acid in the stomach, mainly used to treat heartburn and peptic ulcers, but notorious for causing male impotence. It is a histamine analog, a sulfur-containing derivative of imidazole.
   • 1985, Joe Graedon, Teresa Graedon, The New People's Pharmacy: Drug Breakthroughs for the '80s, Bantam, →ISBN, page 134:

     Until Tagamet (cimetidine), most major drug companies didn't take tummy troubles terribly seriously.

Derived terms

• -tidine (“histamine H₂ receptor antagonist”)

References

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