diethylstilbestrol

English

Chemical structure of diethylstilbestrol

Alternative forms

• diethylstilboestrol (UK)

Etymology

From diethyl +‎ stilb(ene) +‎ -estr- (“estrogen”) +‎ -ol.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /daɪˌɛθ.əl.stɪlˈbɛˌstɹɔl/

Noun

diethylstilbestrol (countable and uncountable, plural diethylstilbestrols) (abbreviated DES)

1. (organic chemistry, pharmacology) A synthetic estrogen drug C₁₈H₂₀O₂ used formerly to prevent miscarriage or premature delivery in humans and to promote growth in livestock. The medical use of diethystilbestrol was discontinued in the U.S. during the early 1970s due to its association with serious side effects (such as reproductive tract abnormalities and increased rates of infertility) in offspring exposed to the drug while developing in the uterus. It is no longer commercially available in the U.S. and its use is currently limited to specially compounded formulations for veterinary care.

   Synonym: stilbestrol

   • 2010, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of All Maladies, Fourth Estate (2011), page 277:

     In 1971, yet another such study identified an even more unusual carcinogen, a synthetic hormonal medicine called diethylstilbestrol.

Translations

estrogen drug

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 己烯雌酚 (zh) (jǐxīcífēn)

References

• “diethylstilbestrol”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.