ketamine

noun ke·ta·mine \ ˈkē-tə-ˌmēn , ˈke- \

Definition of ketamine

:a general anesthetic that is administered intravenously and intramuscularly in the form of its hydrochloride C₁₃H₁₆ClNO·HCl and that is used illicitly usually by being inhaled in powdered form especially for the dreamlike or hallucinogenic state it produces

Note: Ketamine is also called Special K when used as a recreational drug

Recent Examples of ketamine from the Web

But months later the autopsy and toxicology reports revealed the presence of that same perilous cocktail of ketamine, GHB and cocaine.

— david waldstein, New York Times, "The Exciting Life and Lonely Death of a Basketball Vagabond," 12 July 2017
The ketamine test result in Sanderson poultry was above the USDA’s maximum of 20 parts per billion in beef and pork, Bohlen said.

— deena shanker, Bloomberg.com, "There Could Be Ketamine In Your ‘Natural’ Chicken," 22 June 2017
The complaint says government testing found ketamine and other questionable substances during inspections of Sanderson Farms’ locations.

— Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing," 22 June 2017
But the newest and most exciting finding is that ketamine appears to block the NMDA receptor by sitting on a very particular region of it.

— mandy oaklander, Time, "There's More Proof That Ketamine Works for Depression," 21 June 2017
Past research has indicated that ketamine blocks this receptor, which seems to trigger psychedelic and antidepressant effects.

— mandy oaklander, Time, "There's More Proof That Ketamine Works for Depression," 21 June 2017
Closer to home, the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA is conducting a ketamine clinical trial to treat depression.

— rene chun, Los Angeles Magazine, "Inside the Los Angeles Clinic That Uses Ketamine to Treat Depression," 19 June 2017
The bird had a total of 178 pills of ketamine, which is often used as a club drug, the BBC reported.

— ajc homepage, ajc, "Customs officials capture pigeon wearing drug-filled backpack," 26 May 2017
But ketamine did have some negative side effects, such as kidney failure, low blood pressure and fevers.

— Fox News, "Can the pain medication ketamine also relieve depression?," 9 May 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of ketamine

ket- + amine

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1966

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

ketamine

noun ke·ta·mine \ ˈkēt-ə-ˌmēn \

medical Definition of ketamine

:a general anesthetic that is administered intravenously or intramuscularly in the form of its hydrochloride C₁₃H₁₆ClNO·HCl and that is used illicitly usually by being inhaled in powdered form especially for the dreamlike or hallucinogenic state it produces — see special k

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