thalidomide
thalidomide
UK[θəˈlɪdəmaɪd]US[θəˈlɪdəmaɪd]
n
A drug formerly used as a sedative and to treat morning sickness, but withdrawn after being found to cause severe birth defects when taken during pregnancy.
n
The same drug, now used under strict controls to treat certain cancers and complications of leprosy.
Etymology
The name 'thalidomide' is a modern scientific coinage from the mid-20th century. It was artificially constructed by the German pharmaceutical company Chemie Grünenthal, likely by blending parts of the systematic chemical name 'phthalimidoglutarimide'. The '-imide' suffix is a standard chemical term denoting a type of compound containing the NH group. Therefore, the word's logic is not rooted in ancient languages but in the nomenclature of organic chemistry, created for a specific synthetic molecule whose tragic historical impact and subsequent medical repurposing have defined its meaning.
Analysis
This is a modern, invented pharmaceutical name. It is not composed of classical morphemes in the traditional etymological sense but was constructed from syllables of related chemical compounds.
Examples
Thalidomide was prescribed to pregnant women in the late 1950s to alleviate morning sickness.
The thalidomide tragedy led to much stricter drug testing and regulation worldwide.
Today, thalidomide is used effectively in the treatment of multiple myeloma.