pentobarbital

noun

pen·​to·​bar·​bi·​tal ˌpen-tə-ˈbär-bə-ˌtȯl 

: a granular barbiturate C₁₁H₁₈N₂O₃ used especially in the form of its sodium or calcium salt as a sedative, hypnotic, and antispasmodic

Examples of pentobarbital in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Tennessee Department of Correction issued a new execution protocol last December that utilizes the single drug pentobarbital. —CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025

Tennessee uses the single drug pentobarbital in lethal injection. —Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Dec. 2025

The state will use an injection of pentobarbital to execute Ricks in the death chamber at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Huntsville Unit. —Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2025

The state appears to now use two doses of the sedative pentobarbital, with the attorneys saying the inmates drown in a rush of fluid into their lungs but are paralyzed and cannot react. —Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

penta- + -o- + barbital

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pentobarbital

• barbital

Medical Definition

pentobarbital

noun

pen·​to·​bar·​bi·​tal ˌpent-ə-ˈbär-bə-ˌtȯl 

: a granular barbiturate used especially in the form of its sodium salt C₁₁H₁₇N₂NaO₃ or calcium salt (C₁₁H₁₇N₂O₃)₂Ca as a sedative, hypnotic, and antispasmodic