a long-acting barbiturate used medicinally, usually in the form of the sodium salt, as a sedative or hypnotic
Word origin
C20: from barbit(uric acid) + -one
barbitone in American English
(ˈbɑːrbɪˌtoun)
noun
Pharmacology, chiefly Brit
barbital
Word origin
[1910–15; barbit(uric) + -one]This word is first recorded in the period 1910–15. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cat and mouse, coverage, grass roots, isotope, payoff-one is a suffix used in the names of ketones and analogous chemical compounds. Otherwords that use the affix -one include: lactone, quinone