Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A sedative and hypnotic drug, C13H10N2O4, withdrawn from general use after it was found to cause severe birth defects when taken during pregnancy. It is currently used to treat leprosy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun pharmacology (RS)-2-(2,6-dioxopiperidin-3-yl)-1H-isoindole-1,3(2H)dioneC13H10N2O4 — A drug that was sold during the late 1950s and 1960s as a sleeping aid, and to pregnant women as an antiemetic to combat morning sickness and other symptoms, but was withdrawn after being proven to cause severe birth defects, such as phocomelia; currently used to treat leprosy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a sedative and hypnotic drug; withdrawn from sale after discovered to cause severe birth defects because it inhibits angiogenesis

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[(ph)thal(ic acid) + (im)id(e) + (i)mide.]

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Examples

  • In Britain and elsewhere it was called thalidomide.

    Staying Tuned Daniel Schorr 2001

  • In Britain and elsewhere it was called thalidomide.

    Staying Tuned Daniel Schorr 2001

  • In Britain and elsewhere it was called thalidomide.

    Staying Tuned Daniel Schorr 2001

  • Some patients today call thalidomide a "miracle" in terms of remission and what is perceived cure.

    Stephanie Gertler: Thalidomide: Curse or Cure? 2009

  • She had heard about a drug called thalidomide that could cure these ulcers and begged her doctor to obtain it from the Brazilian manufacturer.

    A 'Bad' Drug May Turn Out To Do Good 2008

  • Canada's so-called thalidomide babies are now in late middle age.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed Ingrid Peretz 2010

  • Von Glasow, who is himself a "thalidomide" (that's how the people in the film refer to themselves; others apparently prefer "thalidomider") with deformed hands projecting from what should have been his elbows, has no patience with the gimp mystique.

    Chicago Reader 2010

  • And we know from experiences such as thalidomide that there are specific times during development of specific risks with specific chemicals.

    Home - BostonHerald.com 2009

  • And we know from experiences such as thalidomide that there are specific times during development of specific risks with specific chemicals.

    PsycPORT.com 2009

  • Dangerous drugs like thalidomide could still come to market.

    Donald Cohen: Darrell Issa Invites His Capitalist Cronies to Cry Wolf Donald Cohen 2011

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