antihistamine

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US/ˌæn.tiˈhɪs.tə.miːn/US/ˌæn.taɪˈhɪs.tə.miːn/

noun

A drug that counteracts the effects of a histamine. Commonly used to alleviate the symptoms of hay fever and other allergies.

Similar
antihistaminic
OriginEnglish histamine ← Latin ammoniacus ← Ancient Greek Ᾰ̓́μμων (Ắmmōn) →
UncommonScrabble 18
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Meanings

nounantihistamine (plural antihistamines)

plural antihistamines

  1. medicineA drug that counteracts the effects of a histamine. Commonly used to alleviate the symptoms of hay fever and other allergies.

    Perhaps the most striking method of demonstrating the effect of antihistamine substances is to use them to protect guinea-pigs against the action of histamine sprayed into the air from an atomizer.

    1946 December 28, British journal of pharmacology and chemotherapy, volume 1, number 4, page 278

    Synonyms: antihistaminic

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA drug that counteracts the effects of a histamine. Commonly used to alleviate the symptoms of hay fever and other allergies.

Similar
antihistaminic

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énti
  4. Ancient Greekᾰ̓ντῐ́ (ăntĭ́)
  5. Ancient Greekἀντι- (anti-)
  6. Englishanti-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
  8. Ancient Greekῐ̔στός (hĭstós)
  9. Englishhisto-
  10. Englishhist(idine)
  11. Egyptianjmn
  12. Ancient GreekᾸ̓́μμων (Ắmmōn)
  13. LatinAmmōn
  14. Latinammoniacus
  15. Englishammonia
  16. Englishamine
  17. Englishhistamine
  18. Englishantihistamine

From anti- + histamine.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan antihistamínic
  • antihistamínicdrug that counteracts a histamine
Chinese Mandarin 抗組織胺藥 /抗组织胺药
  • 抗組織胺藥 /抗组织胺药 (kàngzǔzhī'ànyào)drug that counteracts a histamine
Czech antihistaminikum
  • antihistaminikumdrug that counteracts a histamine
Finnish antihistamiini
  • antihistamiinidrug that counteracts a histamine
French antihistaminique
  • antihistaminiquedrug that counteracts a histamine
German Antihistaminikum
  • Antihistaminikumdrug that counteracts a histamine
Icelandic ofnæmislyf, andhistamín
  • ofnæmislyfdrug that counteracts a histamine
  • andhistamíndrug that counteracts a histamine
Indonesian antihistamina
  • antihistaminadrug that counteracts a histamine
Irish frith-hiostaimín
  • frith-hiostaimíndrug that counteracts a histamine
Italian antistaminico
  • antistaminicodrug that counteracts a histamine
Japanese 抗ヒスタミン剤, 抗ヒスタミン薬
  • 抗ヒスタミン剤 (kō-hisutamin-zai)drug that counteracts a histamine
  • 抗ヒスタミン薬 (kō-hisutamin-yaku)drug that counteracts a histamine
Korean 항히스타민제
  • 항히스타민제 (hanghiseutaminje)drug that counteracts a histamine
Portuguese anti-histamínico, anti-histamina
  • anti-histamínicodrug that counteracts a histamine
  • anti-histaminadrug that counteracts a histamine
Romanian antihistaminic
  • antihistaminicdrug that counteracts a histamine
Russian антигистами́н
  • антигистами́н (antigistamín)drug that counteracts a histamine
Spanish antihistamínico
  • antihistamínicodrug that counteracts a histamine
Turkish antihistaminik, antihistamin
  • antihistaminikdrug that counteracts a histamine
  • antihistamindrug that counteracts a histamine
Welsh gwrth-histamin
  • gwrth-histamindrug that counteracts a histamine
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“antihistamine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antihistamine. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “antihistamine,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antihistamine.

Source: antihistamine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.