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

Chemists at Sandoz Laboratories, in Basel, Switzerland, first synthesized an experimental compound known as lysergic acid diethylamide in 1938. —Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024

It’s created from the lysergic acid found in ergot, which is a fungus that infects rye. —Stav Dimitropoulos, SELF, 29 Apr. 2021

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

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