acetaminophen

noun

acet·​amin·​o·​phen ə-ˌsē-tə-ˈmi-nə-fən 

ˌa-sə-tə-

: a crystalline compound C₈H₉NO₂ that is a hydroxy derivative of acetanilide and is used in chemical synthesis and in medicine to relieve pain and fever

Examples of acetaminophen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wen: If someone has a fever and body aches, acetaminophen and ibuprofen are effective over-the-counter oral medications that can be taken to reduce these symptoms. —Katia Hetter, CNN, 31 Jan. 2025

The Kansas City Crime Laboratory determined that the baggies contained acetaminophen, para-fluorofentanyl and fentanyl. —Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2025

Treatment generally involves rest, plenty of fluids, and over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen to ease pain and fever. —Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 10 Jan. 2025

Your provider may recommend other types of painkillers, such as Tylenol (acetaminophen), if NSAIDs aren't a good choice for you.2 Your healthcare provider may prescribe hormonal birth control, such as the birth control pill, patch, ring, or a hormonal IUD, to help manage severe period pain. —Wendy Wisner, Health, 19 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

acet(yl) + amino + phen(ol)

Note: Shortened from N-acetyl-p-aminophenol. Acetaminophen was introduced as a generic name roughly coincident with the introduction of the trademark preparation Tylenol, which was first marketed as "Children's Tylenol Elixir" in 1955 by McNeil Laboratories. Synthesis of the substance, as acetylamidophenol, was first reported in Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft, 11. Jahrgang (Jan.-Juni, 1878), p. 232-33 (H. N. Morse, "Ueber eine neue Darstellungsmethode der Acetylamidophenole"). Its antipyretic properties were recognized by the German physician Josef von Mering in the 1893 article "Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Antipyretica" (Therapeutische Monatshefte, 7, pp. 577-87)—he also refers to it as acetylamidophenol.

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

acetaminophen

noun

acet·​amin·​o·​phen ə-ˌsēt-ə-ˈmin-ə-fən 

: a crystalline compound used in medicine to relieve pain and fever

Medical Definition

acetaminophen

noun

acet·​amin·​o·​phen ə-ˌsēt-ə-ˈmin-ə-fən  ˌas-ət- 

: a crystalline compound C₈H₉NO₂ that is a hydroxy derivative of acetanilide and is used in chemical synthesis and in medicine instead of aspirin to relieve pain and fever

called also paracetamol

see liquiprin, panadol, tylenol