emetine

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛm.ɪ.tiːn/

Noun

emetine (uncountable)

1. (biochemistry, pharmacology) 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.
   • 1948 September 13, “A Drink for Drunks”, in Time:

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

   • 1997, Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Folio Society, published 2016, page 323:

     Magendie performed experiments on emetics and the nature of vomiting, and showed that the emetic properties of ipecacuanha were due to a substance he named emetine.

   • 2001 May 25, Neil F. Bence et al., “Impairment of the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System by Protein Aggregation”, in Science‎^[1], volume 292, number 5521, →DOI, page 1553:

     After a 3-hour incubation with ALLN [acetylleucyl-leucyl-norleucinal], cells were incubated with emetine in the presence (closed symbols) or absence (open symbols) of ALLN (10 µg/ml).

Derived terms

• dehydroemetine

Translations

alkaloid extracted from ipecacuanha root

• Russian: эмети́н (ru) m (emetín)

References

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

Italian

Noun

emetine f

1. plural of emetina