entactogen

English

Etymology

From en- +‎ tactile +‎ -o- +‎ -gen, coined by American pharmacologist and medicinal chemist David E. Nichols in 1986^[1] as an alternative to empathogen, attempting to avoid possible negative connotations from πάθος (páthos, “suffering”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɛnˈtæktəd͡ʒn̩/
Hyphenation: en‧tact‧o‧gen
Audio (General American): (file)

Noun

entactogen (plural entactogens)

An empathogen.

Derived terms

entactogenic

References

^ Robert Leverant (1986 October-December) “MDMA Reconsidered”, in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, volume 18, number 4, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 373–376:
On May 17 and 18, 1986, the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic sponsored a national conference on the drug MDMA. […] The word entactogen was used at the conference to describe an entirely new drug class. This term was coined by David Nichols to describe a substance that produces empathy and sympathy, […]

[1] Robert Leverant (1986 October-December) “MDMA Reconsidered”, in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, volume 18, number 4, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 373–376:
On May 17 and 18, 1986, the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic sponsored a national conference on the drug MDMA. […] The word entactogen was used at the conference to describe an entirely new drug class. This term was coined by David Nichols to describe a substance that produces empathy and sympathy, […]

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