Meaning & use
procaine
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Meanings
noununcountablemedicalchemistry
A synthetic compound used as a local anesthetic, especially in dentistry and minor surgery.
Grammar: Uncountable; used without 'a' or plural: give procaine, a dose of procaine.
Patterns
- inject procaine
- use procaine
- a dose of procaine
The dentist injected procaine to numb the area before filling the cavity.
Procaine is rarely used today because safer alternatives have been developed.
Some patients are allergic to procaine, so the doctor chose a different anesthetic.
noununcountablemedicalold-fashioned
A drug formerly used to treat certain heart conditions and to prolong the effect of other drugs.
Grammar: Uncountable; often in historical or specialized medical texts.
Patterns
- administer procaine
- procaine therapy
In the mid-20th century, procaine was sometimes given for arthritis, though this use is now obsolete.
Procaine was once added to penicillin to make its effects last longer.
Common combinations
- procaine hydrochloride
- Procaine hydrochloride is the salt form commonly used in injections.
- procaine penicillin
- Procaine penicillin is a combination drug that releases penicillin slowly.
- local anesthetic
- Procaine acts as a local anesthetic by blocking nerve signals.
- allergic to procaine
- She told the dentist she was allergic to procaine.
Synonyms and how they differ
- novocaine
- A brand name for procaine, often used in American English for any local anesthetic, though strictly it refers to procaine.
- local anesthetic
- A general term for any drug that numbs a specific area, including but not limited to procaine.
Word family
- procainamide noun
- A related drug used to treat irregular heartbeats.
Commonly confused: procaine or novocaine? procaine or lidocaine?
procaine vs novocaine
Novocaine is a trademarked name for procaine; in everyday use it may refer to any local anesthetic, but procaine is the specific chemical.
procaine vs lidocaine
Lidocaine is a different local anesthetic, often preferred over procaine because it acts faster and lasts longer.
Practice
The dentist used a small amount of _____ to numb the patient's gum before drilling.
Choose one answer.
Procaine is an uncountable noun, so it is used without an article or plural form. 'Procaines' is incorrect because it is not countable, 'a procaine' is wrong because uncountable nouns don't take 'a', and 'procaine's' would be a possessive, which doesn't fit here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “procaine”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.