mefloquine

English

Chemical structure of mefloquine

Etymology

From me(thyl) (“quinoline derivative”) +‎ fl(uor)o- +‎ -quine.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛf.lə.kwiːn/, /ˈmɛf.lək.wɪn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛf.lək.wɪn/

Noun

mefloquine (uncountable)

1. (pharmacology) An antimalarial drug C₁₇H₁₆F₆N₂O similar to quinine that consists of a fluorinated derivative of quinoline and is used in the form of its hydrochloride for the prevention and treatment of malaria.

   Synonym: (brand name) Lariam

   • 2002 October 24, Mark Honigsbaum, “'It's not a benign drug—it has ruined my life'”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     The same year the UN banned mefloquine for peacekeeping troops in Cambodia because of concern about the drug's "neuropsychiatric side effects… in military personnel".

   • 2007, Teju Cole, Every Day is for the Thief, Faber & Faber (2015), page 154:

     I take thalazole to control the stools, mefloquine for the malaria.

References

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