lysergic acid

noun

ly·​ser·​gic acid lə-ˈsər-jik-  (ˌ)lī- 

: a crystalline acid C₁₆H₁₆N₂O₂ from ergotic alkaloids

also : lsd

Examples of lysergic acid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2024, lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD, won FDA breakthrough status for treating anxiety. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024

The compound is structurally similar to psilocybin, psilocin, dimethyltryptamine and lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD, according to the CDC. —Maya Davis, CNN, 3 July 2024

Morning glory: The seeds of some morning glory species contain lysergic acid, a compound that can cause hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and dizziness if ingested in large quantities. —Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 5 June 2024

Chemists at Sandoz Laboratories, in Basel, Switzerland, first synthesized an experimental compound known as lysergic acid diethylamide in 1938. —Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024

It’s created from the lysergic acid found in ergot, which is a fungus that infects rye. —Stav Dimitropoulos, SELF, 29 Apr. 2021

Word History

Etymology

lysergic from lys- (in hydrolysis) + erg(ot) + -ic entry 1

Note: Word introduced by the American biochemist Walter A. Jacobs (1883-1967) and chemist Lyman C. Craig (1906-74) in "The ergot alkaloids II. The degradation of ergotinine with alkali. Lysergic acid," Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol. 104, no. 3 (March 1, 1934), pp. 547-51.

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

lysergic acid

noun

ly·​ser·​gic acid lə-ˌsər-jik-  (ˌ)lī- 

: a crystalline acid C₁₆H₁₆N₂O₂ that is an ergotic alkaloid

also : lsd