Etymology

mepivacaine

M3E1P3I1V4A1C3A1I1N1E1

Today it means: A local anesthetic derived from piperidine and similar in structure and action to lidocaine, usually given by injection as the hydrochloride; (1-methyl-2-piperidyl)formo-2′,6′-xylidide, C₁₅H₂₂N₂O. Full definition →

German Kokain ← Latin novellus ← Proto-Italic *nowos
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*médʰu
  2. Proto-Hellenic*métʰu
  3. Ancient Greekμέθυ (méthu)
  4. Proto-Indo-European*swel-der.?
  5. Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
  6. GermanMethy
  7. Englishme(thyl)
  8. Englishpi(pecoloxylidide)
  9. Proto-Indo-European*nu
  10. Proto-Indo-European*néwos
  11. Proto-Italic*nowos
  12. Latinnovus
  13. Latinnovellus
  14. GermanKokain
  15. English todaymepivacaine

From me(thyl) + pi(pecoloxylidide) + -vacaine (“alteration of Novocaine”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.