A drug derived from ergot fungus that causes uterine contractions, used medically to control bleeding after childbirth.
From 'ergon' (work—referring to ergot's labor-inducing properties) plus '-ine' (chemical suffix), this pharmaceutical compound was isolated and developed in the early 20th century.
Ergometrine saved countless mothers by stopping post-birth hemorrhage, but its discovery came from medieval midwives who realized moldy rye bread actually induced labor—a dangerous side effect of ergotism that became medicine.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.