dexamethasone

[ dek-suh-meth-uh-sohn, -zohn ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a crystalline, water-soluble steroid, C 22 H 29 FO 5 , used in the treatment of certain allergic or inflammatory conditions, as rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma, or dermatosis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dexamethasone¹

First recorded in 1955–60; perhaps Dexa(myl) + meth(yl) + -a- (of uncertain origin) + (corti)sone

Example Sentences

By that point, new treatments had been discovered, including the cheap steroid dexamethasone, and the first Covid vaccines were starting to be rolled out in small numbers.

From BBC

It's imperative that further research be carried out to see whether the keto diet has a similar effect in humans — and crucially, whether treatment with dexamethasone delays the onset of cachexia in humans, too.

From Salon

Scientists, physicians and federal regulators relied on foreign data, such as a British study on dexamethasone, a steroid used to treat Covid-19.

From New York Times

While “thousands of trials exploring novel and repurposed drugs” like dexamethasone have unfolded over the past three years, “few effective therapeutics are available to hospitalized patients with COVID-19,” the study noted.

From Washington Times

Inventing definitions that restrict “deaths from covid” and “deaths in people who received dexamethasone” minimizes the pandemic.

From Washington Post