pro-drug
|pro-drug|
C1
🇺🇸
/ˈproʊˌdrʌɡ/
🇬🇧
/ˈprəʊˌdrʌɡ/
inactive precursor
Etymology
Etymology Information
'pro-drug' originates from the prefix 'pro-' meaning 'before' and 'drug', indicating a substance that becomes active after a metabolic process.
Historical Evolution
The term 'pro-drug' was coined in the 20th century to describe drugs that require metabolic conversion to become active.
Meaning Changes
Initially, it referred to any substance that needed conversion to become active, and this meaning has remained consistent.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Last updated: 2025/02/12 00:03