colchicine

noun

col·chi·cine ˈkäl-chə-ˌsēn

ˈkäl-kə-

: a poisonous alkaloid C₂₂H₂₅NO₆ that inhibits mitosis, is extracted from the corms or seeds of the autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale), and is used especially in the treatment of gout and to produce polyploidy in plants

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Seedless watermelon plants can be created by crossing a normal watermelon with one that has been treated with the chemical colchicine, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. —

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2022 Neither the antidepressant fluvoxamine, often used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, nor the gout drug colchicine, was shown to provide benefit to COVID-19 patients. —

Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 16 July 2022 With about 7000 patients treated with aspirin and 5500 with colchicine, results could come soon, says Martin Landray, a principal investigator of Recovery at the University of Oxford. —

Kai Kupferschmidt, Science | AAAS, 3 Mar. 2021 The rheumatologist prescribed a hefty dose of prednisone and another anti-inflammatory drug, colchicine, which is used to treat gout as well as pseudogout. —

New York Times, 16 Dec. 2020 There’s also an oral medication that’s called colchicine. —

Anna Kuchment, Dallas News, 21 Sep. 2020 About 6,000 patients are receiving colchicine or a placebo during the clinical trial, dubbed Colcorona, which began in March and is expected to be completed in September. —

Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, 22 June 2020 Patients receive colchicine or placebo pills in the mail and do not need to be seen in person. —

J.d. Morris, SFChronicle.com, 23 Apr. 2020 The anti-inflammatory drug colchicine — sold as Colcrys, Mitigare and in generic form — was tested in 4,745 people who recently had a heart attack. —

Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2019 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'colchicine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1847, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of colchicine was circa 1847

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Colchicine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colchicine. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

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Kids Definition

colchicine

noun

col·chi·cine ˈkäl-chə-ˌsēn

ˈkäl-kə-

: a poisonous substance that is obtained from the corms or seeds of a plant resembling a crocus and that is used on cells to cause changes in chromosome numbers and to produce new varieties of plants

Medical Definition

colchicine

noun

col·chi·cine ˈkäl-chə-ˌsēn, ˈkäl-kə-

: a poisonous alkaloid C₂₂H₂₅NO₆ that inhibits mitosis, is extracted from the corms or seeds of the autumn crocus, and is used in the treatment of gout and acute attacks of gouty arthritis