Definition

A type of drug that is used as an anesthetic, particularly in medical procedures to help patients sleep or feel less pain.

Example

The doctor administered thiopental to prepare the patient for surgery.

Conversation

Have you ever heard of thiopental?

Yeah, I think it's used as an anesthetic, right?

Exactly! It's a barbiturate that helps people during surgery.

That’s interesting! I didn’t know it had such a specific use.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

**Thiopental** → It is formed from "thio-" (from Greek "thio", meaning sulfur) and "pent" (from Latin "pent-", meaning five) and "-al" (a suffix used in chemistry to denote an aldehyde or related compound). The word "thiopental" refers to a compound that contains sulfur and has a five-carbon chain, commonly used as an anesthetic.

Memory Tip

Think of 'sulfur' ('thio-') and a 'five-carbon' structure ('pent') to remember that thiopental is a compound related to these elements.

Visually Confused Words