barbital
|bar-bi-tal|
🇺🇸
/ˈbɑɹbɪtəl/
🇬🇧
/ˈbɑːbɪtəl/
a barbiturate hypnotic drug
Etymology
'barbital' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'barbituricum', where 'barbitur-' referred to the name for derivatives of barbituric acid and the suffix '-al' was used to form the compound name.
'barbituric' changed from New Latin word 'barbituricum' into modern European chemical usage (e.g. 'barbituric'), and eventually the specific compound name 'barbital' was coined in English as the name of the 5,5-diethylbarbituric acid (marketed early 20th century as Veronal).
Initially, it referred to substances related to barbituric acid; over time it evolved to denote the specific hypnotic drug 'barbital' (5,5-diethylbarbituric acid).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a barbiturate drug (5,5-diethylbarbituric acid) formerly used as a sedative and hypnotic; historically marketed under trade names such as Veronal.
Barbital was one of the earliest barbiturate sedatives introduced for use as a hypnotic.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/14 17:36