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chloral hydrate
noun
: a bitter white crystalline drug C2H3Cl3O2 used as a hypnotic and sedative or in knockout drops
Examples of chloral hydrate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Back at the compound, Jones instructed his followers to kill themselves by ingesting Valium, chloral hydrate, cyanide and Phenergan that was mixed into Flavor Aid, per Vox.
—Haley Van Horn, Peoplemag, 17 June 2024
If administered with alcohol, chloral hydrate is the active ingredient of what was then commonly called a 'Mickey Finn'—knockout drops.
—Town & Country, 28 July 2023
Bleeding and mercury have had their day; cod liver oil and chloral hydrate are already on the wane; alcohol and bullock's blood are now in vogue among the Parisians—the former for fevers and all inflammatory affections, and the latter for anaemia and pulmonary phthisis.
—Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2022
The toxicologist determined that Monroe ingested a lethal dose of Nembutal, a drug that is used to treat anxiety, as well as a large dose of chloral hydrate, a drug used as a sedative.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 28 Sep. 2022
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Word History
First Known Use
1874, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near chloral hydrate
Cite this Entry
“Chloral hydrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chloral%20hydrate. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
Medical Definition
chloral hydrate
noun
: a bitter white crystalline drug C2H3Cl3O2 used as a hypnotic and sedative or in knockout drops
More from Merriam-Webster on chloral hydrate
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chloral hydrate
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