Meanings
plural amitriptylines · alternative amitryptiline · alternative amitryptyline
- countableuncountablemedicineAn antidepressant drug; a tablet containing this drug.
‘They were in very low concentrations, only fifteen per cent of the total. The remaining eighty-five per cent was made up of a powerful tranquillizer, amitryptiline.’
2000, JG Ballard, Super-Cannes, Fourth Estate, published 2011, page 327
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna tricyclic antidepressant drug (trade name Elavil) with serious side effects; interacts with many other medications
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Egyptianjmn
- Ancient GreekᾸ̓́μμων (Ắmmōn)
- LatinAmmōn
- Latinammoniacus
- Englishammonia
- Englishamine
- Englishami(no-)
- Proto-Indo-European*tréyes
- Proto-Indo-European*tri-
- Proto-Italic*tri-
- Latintri-
- Englishtri-
- Englishheptane
- Proto-Indo-European*swel-der.?
- Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
- English(he)ptyl
- Englishamitriptyline
From ami(no-) + tri- + (he)ptyl + -ine.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish amitriptyliini
- amitriptyliinidrug
Portuguese amitriptilina
- amitriptilinadrug
Russian амитриптили́н
- амитриптили́н (amitriptilín)drug
Cite this entry
amitriptyline. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amitriptyline
“amitriptyline.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amitriptyline. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “amitriptyline,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amitriptyline.
Source: amitriptyline on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.