reserpine Hear it!

reserpine definition

re·ser·pine (ri sʉr′pin, -pēn; res′ər pēn′)

noun

a crystalline alkaloid, CHNO, extracted from the root of various rauwolfias (esp. Rauwolfia serpentina), used in the treatment of hypertension and some forms of mental illness

Etymology: Ger reserpin, prob. arbitrary contr. < ModL Rauwolfia serpentina + Ger -in, -ine

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.