Definition

A strong pain-relieving medication that is similar to morphine and is often used in medical settings, especially for surgery and chronic pain.

Example

The doctor prescribed fentanyl to help manage the patient's severe pain after surgery.

Conversation

Have you heard about the dangers of fentanyl?

Yeah, I read that it’s really potent and can be risky.

It’s scary how something meant for pain relief can be so harmful.

Absolutely, we need to be careful with medications like that.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Fentanyl is derived from the word 'fentanyl' itself, which is a synthetic opioid. The name is a combination of 'fentanyl' and the suffix '-yl', which is often used in chemistry to denote a radical or a derivative. The term does not have roots in Latin, Greek, Old English, or Old French, but rather is a modern chemical name created for this specific compound.

Memory Tip

Think of 'fentanyl' as a specific type of synthetic opioid, where the '-yl' suffix indicates its chemical nature. This helps you remember that fentanyl is a unique compound in the opioid family.

Visually Confused Words