Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
⚖️ Induced abortion 💊 Abortion medicine
aborticide

aborticide

9.9
A drug that makes a pregnancy end before birth
  • noun
  • /əˈbɔːrtɪˌsaɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : abortivo
  • The doctor explained that an aborticide may have serious side effects if not administered properly.

Examples

  • The doctor prescribed an aborticide for the patient.

  • Some countries strictly regulate the use and sale of any aborticide.

  • Research is ongoing to determine the safety of new types of aborticide medications.

  • Many women are concerned about the safety of aborticides.

  • Some countries strictly regulate the use and sale of any aborticide to ensure women's safety.

  • The doctor explained that an aborticide can be effective in terminating an unwanted pregnancy.

  • Many women seek information about aborticide options before making their healthcare decisions.

Synonyms

abortion pill
vsaborticide
  • Specialized
4 4.9

A drug taken to end an early pregnancy without surgery

is more general, covering any chemical agent that ends pregnancy
abortifacient
vsaborticide
  • Specialized
2 9.9

A drug or substance that causes an early end to a pregnancy

is broader, focusing on chemical agents not only those causing expulsion
abortion-inducing drug
vsaborticide
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A drug that ends a pregnancy by causing the body to remove the unborn baby

has identical meaning and refers to that same chemical agent

Surface Forms

aborticide singular
aborticides plural

Morphology

aborticide = abort (semi-transparent) = abort + cide

The agentive or causative meaning is clear from '-cide', but the specific technical sense still requires some lexical knowledge.

Etymology

Aborticide can also refer to a drug or chemical that causes an abortion, and the word breaks into abort ('to end a pregnancy') plus -cide ('to kill', like in pesticide). So, in this sense an aborticide is a substance that 'kills' or ends a pregnancy.