Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
pentobarbital sodium

pentobarbital sodium

8.2
A strong drug that makes a person sleep or relax and stops seizures
  • noun
  • /ˌpɛntəˈbɑːrbɪtəl ˈsoʊdiəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pentobarbital sódico
  • The doctor prescribed pentobarbital sodium to help control the patient's seizures.

Examples

  • Veterinarians sometimes use pentobarbital sodium for animal anesthesia.

  • The doctor prescribed pentobarbital sodium for her insomnia.

  • An overdose of pentobarbital sodium can cause serious side effects and must be administered with care.

  • Many patients find pentobarbital sodium effective for anxiety.

  • The doctor prescribed pentobarbital sodium to help control the patient's seizures.

  • Veterinarians sometimes use pentobarbital sodium for animal anesthesia.

  • An overdose of pentobarbital sodium can cause serious side effects and must be administered with care.

Synonyms

Nembutal
vspentobarbital sodium
  • Archaic
3 9.9

A strong medicine doctors give to make people sleep or calm them

is the general medical name rather than the brand label
pentobarbital
vspentobarbital sodium
  • Specialized
3 9.8

A strong drug that makes people or animals sleep, stops severe seizures, and can humanely kill animals

is the same drug but shown in a different written or labeled form
yellow jacket
vspentobarbital sodium
  • NSFW
9.9

A strong medicine like Nembutal used to make people sleep

is the standard clinical name used in professional or medical contexts

Surface Forms

pentobarbital sodium singular
pentobarbital sodiums plural

Morphology

pentobarbital + sodium

The compound is a straightforward chemical/medical name: 'pentobarbital' (a barbiturate drug) combined with 'sodium' indicates the sodium salt/form of that drug. This naming is compositional and follows common chemical naming conventions, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to the sodium form of pentobarbital used as a sedative.

Etymology

Pentobarbital sodium is a chemical name that tells you what the drug is: penta- means 'five', barbital is the family name for a group of sleeping or calming drugs, and sodium shows it is the 'salt' form used in medicine, so the name simply describes its parts and form.