Mellanby effect

noun

The phenomenon that the behavioral impairment due to alcohol is less at the same blood alcohol content, when the blood alcohol content is decreasing rather than when it is increasing.

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Meanings

noun
  1. uncommonThe phenomenon that the behavioral impairment due to alcohol is less at the same blood alcohol content, when the blood alcohol content is decreasing rather than when it is increasing.

Origin

Named after British pharmacologist Edward Mellanby, who first observed the phenomenon.

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Cite this entry
APA

Mellanby effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mellanby%20effect

MLA

“Mellanby effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mellanby%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mellanby effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mellanby%20effect.

Source: Mellanby effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.