quinidine

[ kwin-i-deen, -din ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a colorless, crystalline alkaloid, C 2 0 H 2 4 N 2 O 2 , isomeric with quinine, obtained from the bark of certain species of cinchona trees or shrubs, used chiefly to regulate heart rhythm and to treat malaria.

quinidine

/ ˈkwɪnɪˌdiːn /

noun

1. a crystalline alkaloid drug that is an optically active diastereoisomer of quinine: used to treat heart arrhythmias. Formula: C 20 H 24 N 2 O 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of quinidine¹

First recorded in 1830–40; quin(ine) + -id ³ + -ine ²

Example Sentences

The treatment system that has emerged in the absence of quinidine is far from perfect, Travassos said.

From Scientific American

Some people are genetically predisposed to severe adverse reactions to the heart drug quinidine and its close cousin quinine.

From Seattle Times

In laboratory experiments at the University of California, Davis, scientists fed orange-winged parrots small doses of quinidine, a potentially toxic alkaloid, and followed with what they called a “chaser” of Peruvian clay.

From New York Times

Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant commonly found in over-the-counter cough medicines, and quinidine is a drug used to control heart rhythm disorders.

From New York Times

The medication is a combination of the cough suppressant dextromethorphan as well as quinidine, a drug that treats abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias.

From US News