chemoprophylactic
- noun
- /ˌkiːmoʊprəˈfɪlaktɪk/
- Specialized
- The doctor prescribed a chemoprophylactic to prevent malaria.
Examples
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Taking a chemoprophylactic can help prevent certain infections during outbreaks.
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Some travelers forget to bring their chemoprophylactic medications and risk getting sick.
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The doctor recommended a chemoprophylactic before traveling to the malaria-endemic area.
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Many travelers take chemoprophylactics before visiting high-risk areas.
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The doctor recommended a chemoprophylactic before traveling to the malaria-endemic area.
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Taking a chemoprophylactic can help prevent certain infections during outbreaks.
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Many travelers take chemoprophylactics before visiting high-risk areas.
Synonyms
A medicine or treatment that prevents an illness before it starts
Surface Forms
Morphology
chemoprophylactic = prophylactic (transparent) = chemo + prophylactic
Noun formed by prefixing 'chemo-' to the noun 'prophylactic', producing a chemical preventive agent; the composition is directly interpretable.
Etymology
A chemoprophylactic is a 'chemical guard' that stops illness before it starts, because the word joins chemo- 'chemical', as in chemistry, with pro- 'before' and phylax 'guard', so it means a drug that protects you before an infection.