Artemether
/ˌɑːr.tɪˈmiːθər/noun
A semisynthetic antimalarial drug derived from artemisinin.
Did you know?Artemether is made from artemisinin, isolated from sweet wormwood, and its discovery earned Tu Youyou the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ártemis
“Artemis, goddess associated with wilderness, hunting, and childbirth; the name’s deeper origin is uncertain”
1st Century CE
Latin
Artemisia
“A plant genus named in classical tradition, possibly in reference to Artemis or Artemisia of Caria”
1753
Botanical Latin
Artemisia annua
“Annual wormwood, the plant later recognized as the source of artemisinin”
1972
Modern scientific English
Artemisinin
“The antimalarial sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Artemisia annua”
1980s
Pharmaceutical English
Artemether
“A methyl-ether derivative of artemisinin developed for antimalarial treatment”