anthelmintic
UK /ænθɛlˈmɪntɪk/ · US /ænt.hɛlˈmɪntɪk/ adjective, noun
Forms anthelmintics anthelminthic antihelminthic antihelmintic
- adjective (pharmacology) Destructive to parasitic worms. “Research is progressing well on finding native plants with anthelmintic properties.”
- noun (medicine) A drug for the treatment of worm infestation, either by killing the worms or by causing them to be expelled from the body.
Synonyms
Etymology
From ant- + helminth + -ic; for some speakers, the prefix's t- and helminth's initial h- have become /θ/ while the final th of helminth has become t by dissimilation.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Good against intestinal worms.
Etymology [Pref. anti- + Gr. (Med.) Defn: Good against intestinal worms. -- An anthelmintic remedy. [Written also anthelminthic.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “anthelmintic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details