noun
atropine
A-truh-peen
noun
1
A powerful drug extracted from deadly nightshade and related plants, used in medicine to relax muscles, dry secretions, or widen the pupils.
"Doctors use atropine eye drops to dilate a patient's pupils for an eye exam."
"Atropine is also carried as an antidote for certain nerve agent poisonings."
How to Use Atropine
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA plant-derived medical drug that relaxes muscles and affects the eyes and nervous system; toxic in large doses.
Common pairings
atropine eye drops
atropine sulfate
atropine poisoning
Word Forms
atropines plural
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Doctors use _____ eye drops to dilate a patient's pupils for an eye exam.
Etymology
Named after Atropa, the botanical genus of deadly nightshade, which itself was named after Atropos, the Greek Fate who cut the thread of life.