thalidomide Hear it!

thalidomide definition

tha·lido·mide (t̸hə lid′ə mīd′)

noun

a crystalline solid, CHNO, formerly used as a sedative and hypnotic: found to be responsible for severe birth deformities when taken during pregnancy

Etymology: < thallic + (im)ido- + (glutari)mide < glut(en) + (tart)ar(ic) + imide

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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