# thalidomide

> English word · Noun · IPA /θəˈlɪdəˌmaɪd/ · frequency rank #59,759

## Definitions
1. A drug sold during the late 1950s and early 1960s as a sleeping aid, and to pregnant women as an antiemetic to combat morning sickness and other symptoms, but withdrawn as causing severe birth defects, such as phocomelia; currently used to treat leprosy.

## Etymology
From (ph)thal(ic acid) + (im)ido + (i)mide.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/thalidomide