Etymology

thalidomide

T1H4A1L1I1D2O1M3I1D2E1

Today it means: An immunomodulatory drug used to treat a number of cancers and skin disorders, historically promoted as a sedative and medication for morning sickness. Full definition →

English (i)mide ← Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ← Latin ammoniacus
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The story

  1. English(ph)thal(ic acid)
  2. English(im)ido
  3. Egyptianjmn
  4. Ancient GreekᾸ̓́μμων (Ắmmōn)
  5. LatinAmmōn
  6. Latinammoniacus
  7. Englishammonia
  8. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  9. Englishamide
  10. English(i)mide
  11. English todaythalidomide

From (ph)thal(ic acid) + (im)ido + (i)mide. The chemical was synthesized and marketed in the 1950s.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.