: a crystalline acid C16H16N2O2 from ergotic alkaloids
also: lsd
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebIt’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