veronal

1 9.9

An old medicine used in the past to make people sleep

noun
/ˈvɛrənəl/

Archaic

: veronal

I gave her a tablet, a Veronal.

Examples

The doctor prescribed veronal to help the patient get a good night's sleep.
Not even the Veronal can help me to sleep.

Grand Hotel (1932)
Veronal, perhaps.

House of Wax (1953)
After struggling to fall asleep, she decided to take a veronal tablet.
He remembered the side effects of veronal and chose to avoid it before bedtime.

Synonyms

Nembutal

vsveronal

Archaic

3 9.9

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

is the general barbiturate sleep drug rather than a brand name

pentobarbital

vsveronal

Specialized

3 9.8

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

focuses on sedative sleep use while this one also treats spasms

barbital

vsveronal

Specialized

1 9.9

A medicine that helps people sleep and feel calm

is the same class but noted as formerly used rather than current

Luminal

vsveronal

Specialized

1 9.9

A long acting drug that makes people sleepy and controls seizures

is similar in sedative effect but not described as long acting

barbitone

vsveronal

9.9

A drug that makes a person sleep and feel relaxed

is the same type but described as formerly used for inducing sleep

diethylmalonylurea

vsveronal

Archaic

9.9

A drug used to help people sleep

is the same drug class but emphasises former use as a sleep inducer

diethylbarbituric acid

vsveronal

Archaic

9.9

A medicine doctors use to help people sleep

is the same category but described as formerly used for sleep

Mebaral

vsveronal

Archaic

9.9

A long-acting medicine that calms the body and helps stop epileptic seizures

focuses on simple sedative sleep induction rather than anticonvulsant use

metharbital

vsveronal

Specialized

9.9

A medicine that helps control seizures in people with epilepsy

is presented mainly as a sleep inducing sedative rather than epilepsy drug

ethchlorvynol

vsveronal

Archaic

9.9

A medicine that helps people who cannot sleep

is a stronger earlier class drug formerly used to induce sleep

Placidyl

vsveronal

Archaic

9.9

A mild medicine formerly used to help people sleep

is the older barbiturate type described as formerly used to induce sleep

flurazepam

vsveronal

Specialized

9.8

A sleeping pill doctors prescribe for people who have long term trouble sleeping

is the older barbiturate class drug used historically as a sleep inducer

Antonyms

stimulant

Specialized

27 4.9

A drug that makes the body and mind more active for a short time

Surface Forms

veronal singular

veronals plural

Etymology

Veronal was originally a brand name for the drug barbital, an early barbiturate used to 'induce sleep'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of veronal as the name of an old sleeping medicine, which is why the word now means that early sedative.