sustained-release
|sus-tained-re-lease|
/səˈsteɪnd rɪˈliːs/
slow, prolonged release
Etymology
'sustained-release' originates from a combination of the words 'sustain' and 'release'. 'Sustain' traces back to Latin 'sustinere' (from 'sub-' meaning 'up from/under' and 'tenere' meaning 'to hold'), while 'release' derives from Old French forms (e.g. 'releser'/'relacher') ultimately related to Latin roots meaning 'to loosen' or 'let go'.
'sustain' entered English via Old French and Middle English (e.g. Old French 'soustenir' → Middle English 'sustenen' → modern 'sustain'); 'release' passed from Old French into Middle English and developed into the modern verb and noun. The compound 'sustained-release' was later formed in modern English (20th century) as a technical pharmaceutical term combining those senses.
Individually, 'sustain' originally meant 'to hold up or support' and 'release' meant 'to set free'; combined in technical contexts the compound came to mean 'to let out (a substance) slowly over time', a specialized sense used especially in pharmacology.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a formulation (often of a medicine) that releases its active ingredient gradually over time.
The clinic offered both immediate-release and sustained-release options for the medication.
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Adjective 1
designed so that a drug or active ingredient is released slowly over an extended period rather than all at once.
She was switched to a sustained-release formulation to reduce dosing frequency.
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Last updated: 2025/08/31 03:09