acetylsalicylic acid

noun

ace·tyl·sal·i·cyl·ic acid ə-ˈsē-tᵊl-ˌsa-lə-ˌsi-lik-

: a white crystalline derivative C₉H₈O₄ of salicylic acid used for relief of pain and fever : aspirin sense 1

Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid and is based on salicylic acid, which was originally extracted from willow bark.—

Berkeley Wellness Letter

Episodes are often precipitated by the ingestion of alcohol and chocolate and do not occur after exercise or the use of acetylsalicylic acid as in this patient.—

Mandakolathur R. Murali et al.

Examples of acetylsalicylic acid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Hoffmann improved on earlier work of French chemist Charles Frederic Gerhardt, who derived acetylsalicylic acid from plants, but only in an impure, unstable form. —

Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2023 This week in 1897, Dr. Felix Hoffmann successfully created a chemically pure and stable form of acetylsalicylic acid, a new kind of pain reliever. —

Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Aug. 2022 Hoffmann had improved on the earlier work of French chemist Charles Frederic Gerhardt, who derived acetylsalicylic acid from plants, but only in an impure, unstable form (1853). —

Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Aug. 2022 Tend Skin Women's AfterShave/Post Waxing Solution ($16, Amazon), for example, contains the anti-inflammatory agent acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin). —

Melanie Rud, SELF, 16 June 2022 Various historic accounts report that aspirin was registered in the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin on March 6, 1899, as the brand name for acetylsalicylic acid, on behalf of the German pharmaceutical company Friedrich Bayer & Co. —

Kevin Dayhoff, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 19 Feb. 2022 To bolster this kind of spot treatment, Dr. Francesca Fusco, a dermatologist at Wexler Dermatology in New York City, dissolves an aspirin into warm water before freezing, as the acetylsalicylic acid helps to dry up breakouts. —

Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2021 And while the acetylsalicylic acid can reduce inflammation, it shouldn't be used on your face. —

Leah Groth, Health.com, 14 Sep. 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'acetylsalicylic acid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

partial translation of German Acetylosalicylsäure, from Acetyl acetyl + Salicylsäure salicylic acid

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of acetylsalicylic acid was in 1864

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near acetylsalicylic acid

acetylsalicylate

acetylsalicylic acid

acetyltannic acid

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“Acetylsalicylic acid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acetylsalicylic%20acid. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

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