phenobarbital

[ fee-noh-bahr-bi-tawl, -tal, -nuh- ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a white, crystalline powder, C 1 2 H 1 2 N 2 O 3 , used as a sedative, a hypnotic, and as an antispasmodic in epilepsy.

phenobarbital

/ ˌfiːnəʊˈbɑːbɪtəl /

noun

1. a white crystalline derivative of barbituric acid used as a sedative for treating insomnia and as an anticonvulsant in epilepsy. Formula: C 12 H 12 N 2 O 3

phenobarbital

/ fē′nō-bär′bĭ-tôl′,-tăl′ /

1. A crystalline barbiturate used as a sedative and an anticonvulsant. Chemical formula: C 12 H 12 N 2 O 3 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of phenobarbital¹

First recorded in 1915–20; pheno- + barbital

Example Sentences

Soon after she arrived, a center staff member had delivered a shot full of phenobarbital and midazolam into her back haunch, to control the seizures.

From Los Angeles Times

The local health department there found four doctors guilty of misconduct and improper use of phenobarbital on about 20 children.

From BBC

It remains unclear how the phenobarbital, a barbiturate often used to treat seizures and anxiety, or fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent, got in Grosso’s system.

From Los Angeles Times

The Orange County Sheriff-Coroner’s office later determined his cause of death as acute polydrug intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl and phenobarbital.

From Los Angeles Times

Born in 1928, Walter Tevis was a sickly, unhappy child, confined for many months to a hospital bed and dosed with addictive phenobarbital because of rheumatic heart disease.

From Washington Post