angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor
- noun
- /ˌændʒiəˈtɛnsɪn kənˈvɜrtɪŋ ˈɛnzaɪm ɪnˈhɪbɪtər/
- Specialized
:
inhibidor de la enzima convertidora de angiotensina
- Patients with hypertension are often treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors to improve their heart health.
- angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers
Examples
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The doctor prescribed an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor to help lower her blood pressure.
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His diabetes was controlled with insulin, and he was also prescribed angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers.
Academic text (2007) -
He was not taking an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or any other medication associated with cough.
Academic text (2008) -
The additional trials better reflect current practice as they include patients with diabetes and add angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and calcium-channel blockers to the mix.
Academic text (2015) -
I'm a writer too, although I've been doing it since I was sixteen and find it very easy to engage in when I am supposed to be studying for nursing. Though, I can definitely say my plot is more exciting than learning about the properties of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors!
Blog text (32) -
For his heart failure, he was advised to take an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor to relax his arteries.
Synonyms
1
4.2
A medicine that lowers blood pressure by blocking a body chemical that narrows blood vessels
A medicine that lowers high blood pressure
A medicine that lowers high blood pressure
Surface Forms
Morphology
angiotensin-converting + enzyme + inhibitor
The phrase is fully compositional: 'angiotensin-converting enzyme' means an enzyme that converts angiotensin, and 'inhibitor' is a substance that inhibits that enzyme, so the overall meaning ('a substance that inhibits the enzyme that converts angiotensin') is directly derivable from the parts. Although the term is technical and low-frequency, its internal compounding and modifier-head structure are regular and cross-linguistically common, so a learner who knows the constituent words would be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor literally tells its job: it blocks the converting enzyme that makes the chemical angiotensin, which makes blood vessels tight. Think of the inhibitor as a clamp that stops that process so the vessels relax and the medicine helps 'lower blood pressure'.