Cacodylate

/kæˈkɒdɪleɪt/ noun

Definition

A salt or ester formed from cacodylic acid, containing the cacodyl radical; formerly used in medicine and chemistry.

Etymology

From 'cacodyl' + '-ate' suffix (salt/ester). Cacodylates are chemical compounds derived from cacodyl through oxidation and reaction with bases.

Kelly Says

In the 1800s, doctors actually prescribed cacodylate medicines for everything from arthritis to syphilis—they knew it was toxic but thought tiny doses could magically heal—which almost never worked and often poisoned patients!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.