lysergic acid

noun

ly·​ser·​gic acid lə-ˈsər-jik-  (ˌ)lī- 

: a crystalline acid C₁₆H₁₆N₂O₂ from ergotic alkaloids

also : lsd

Examples of lysergic acid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As part of the program, test subjects were unknowingly given LSD, or lysergic acid diethylamide, a powerful hallucinogen. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026

Examples include heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ecstasy, methaqualone, and peyote. — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025

Makary said the agency is urging the Drug Enforcement Agency to classify 7-OH as a Schedule 1 substance, placing it on list of drugs that include heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and ecstasy. — Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech, The Hill, 29 July 2025

Psilocybin use in 2023 among adults was higher than estimates for cocaine, illicit opioid use, methamphetamine or LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), the study found. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025

Seemingly from different universes, these two figures found a curious point of convergence via lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), the hallucinogen first synthesized in a lab in Switzerland in 1938. — Paul Lindholdt, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2024

Diplo admitted to being on lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) while on live TV. — Lexi Carson, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

lysergic from lys- (in hydrolysis) + erg(ot) + -ic entry 1

Note: Word introduced by the American biochemist Walter A. Jacobs (1883-1967) and chemist Lyman C. Craig (1906-74) in "The ergot alkaloids II. The degradation of ergotinine with alkali. Lysergic acid," Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol. 104, no. 3 (March 1, 1934), pp. 547-51.

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lysergic acid

• antacid
• placid

Medical Definition

lysergic acid

noun

ly·​ser·​gic acid lə-ˌsər-jik-  (ˌ)lī- 

: a crystalline acid C₁₆H₁₆N₂O₂ that is an ergotic alkaloid

also : lsd