muscle relaxantn.adj.
/ˈmʌsl rᵻˌlaksnt/, U.S. /ˈməs(ə)l rəˌlæks(ə)nt/ A. n.
A substance which has the physiological effect of relaxing muscles.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > sedatives, antispasmodics, etc. > [noun] > drug producing relaxation
relaxant1898
muscle relaxant1949
1949 Lancet 7 May 774/2 Decamethonium iodide (C 10) is a stable, neutral, non-irritant muscle relaxant, roughly five times as potent as d-tubocurarine chloride.
1968 W. C. Bowman et al. Textbk. Pharmacol. xxii. 613 Mephenesin is useful as a muscle relaxant in the treatment of tetanus.
1997 N.Y. Times 2 Nov. ix. 3/2 Para Fango is a European massage technique in which a bar of wax, volcanic ash and mud..is melted and applied to parts of the body as a muscle relaxant.
B. adj.
Usually with hyphen. Esp. of a drug: that has the effect of relaxing muscles.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > sedatives, antispasmodics, etc. > [adjective] > antispasmodic or anticonvulsant
antiepileptical1633
antiepileptic1655
anticonvulsive1696
spasmodic1728
antispasmodic1764
spasmolytic1937
anti-convulsant1946
muscle relaxant1951
1951 New Biol. 11 101 The muscle-relaxant drugs, which are sometimes given in addition to anaesthetics in surgery.
1984 M. J. Taussig Processes in Pathol. & Microbiol. (ed. 2) vii. 861 Other inherited enzyme defects..include pseudocholinesterase deficiency, which causes prolonged paralysis after anaesthesia with muscle-relaxant drugs.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1949