Having the power to kill or destroy parasitic roundworms, especially those of the genus Ascaris.
From ascaris (roundworm) plus -cidal (from Latin caedere, to kill), following the pattern of words like 'insecticide.' This term became common in pharmacology and medicine as treatments for parasitic infections were developed.
Ascaricidal drugs are literally 'worm-killers'—naming chemical compounds by what they destroy (like 'insecticide' kills insects) was a logical system that helped doctors quickly understand what a medicine was meant to do!
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