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Glite Dictionary
lysergic acid

lysergic acid

8.9
A chemical from a fungus used in research and to make drugs that change how you see or feel
  • noun
  • /laɪˈsɜrdʒɪk ˈæsɪd/
  • NSFW
translation icon : ácido lisérgico
  • The extraction of lysergic acid from ergot fungi was a major breakthrough in pharmacology.

Examples

  • Researchers studied the properties of lysergic acid in the laboratory.

  • Research on lysergic acid is ongoing.

  • Lysergic acid is an important starting material for the synthesis of LSD.

  • Scientists study lysergic acid extensively.

  • Researchers synthesized lysergic acid from ergot alkaloids for their experiments on hallucinations.

  • In the lab, scientists often use lysergic acid as a precursor in the development of psychotropic medications.

  • The study focused on the effects of lysergic acid as a compound in understanding psychedelic experiences.

Surface Forms

lysergic acid singular
lysergic acids plural

Morphology

lysergic + acid

Formally this is an adjective + noun composition meaning 'a kind/kind of acid', so its basic category (a type of acid) is compositional. However 'lysergic' is a specialised, circularly defined term tied to specific chemical/ergot compounds and drug-related uses, information a B1 learner would not derive from the constituents alone. Because the structural relation is clear but the specialised sense is not predictable, the expression is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

Lysergic acid comes from a substance first taken from ergot, a fungus that grows on grain. The part lysergic points to that source and the word acid shows it is an acid, a kind of chemical. That's why lysergic acid is used as a 'starting material' for LSD and in medical research.