pyrimethamine

P3Y4R1I1M3E1T1H4A1M3I1N1E1
UK/ˌpɪ.ɹɪˈmɛθ.ə.miːn/US/ˌpɪɹ.ɪˈmɛθ.əˌmin/

noun

A synthetic compound derived from pyrimidine, acting as a folic acid antagonist and used in the chemoprophylaxis or treatment of malaria and in the treatment of toxoplasmosis.

OriginEnglish (di)amine ← German Ethy ← Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē) →
UncommonScrabble 25
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Meanings

nounpyrimethamine (countable and uncountable, plural pyrimethamines)

plural pyrimethamines

  1. countableuncountablemedicineA synthetic compound derived from pyrimidine, acting as a folic acid antagonist and used in the chemoprophylaxis or treatment of malaria and in the treatment of toxoplasmosis.

Origin

  1. GermanPyrimidin
  2. Englishpyrim(idine)
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eydʰ-
  4. Proto-Hellenic*áitʰō
  5. Ancient Greekαἴθω (aíthō)
  6. Ancient Greekᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)influ.?
  7. Ancient Greekαἰθήρ (aithḗr)
  8. Latinaethēr
  9. GermanÄther
  10. GermanEther
  11. Proto-Indo-European*swel-der.?
  12. Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
  13. GermanEthy
  14. Englishethyl
  15. Englisheth-
  16. English(di)amine
  17. Englishpyrimethamine

From pyrim(idine) + eth- + (di)amine.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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