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Pharmacology. a white, crystalline substance, C 9 H 8 O 4 , derivative of salicylic acid, used as an anti-inflammatory agent and to relieve the pain of headache, rheumatism, gout, neuralgia, etc.; acetylsalicylic acid.
an aspirin tablet:
I took two aspirin and went right to bed.
Contemporary Examples

What the film does allege is that OBI may have purchased mass quantities of aspirin to ship to victims at Goma.
‘Mission Congo’ Alleges Pat Robertson Exploited Post-Genocide Rwandans For Diamonds Marlow Stern September 6, 2013

aspirin fails to reduce platelet production in aspirant-resistant individuals.
Can Taking Aspirin Once a Day Reduce Risk of Cancer, Stroke, and More? Anneli Rufus March 21, 2012

“An aspirin a day” has become a staple of conventional heart-health wisdom.
Could a Daily Aspirin Be Deadly? Arthur Agatston, M.D. February 22, 2010

But if aspirin was introduced as a new drug today, it would probably require a prescription.
Could a Daily Aspirin Be Deadly? Arthur Agatston, M.D. February 22, 2010

John Baron, et al. “A Randomized Trial of aspirin to Prevent Colorectal Adenomas.”
Can Taking Aspirin Once a Day Reduce Risk of Cancer, Stroke, and More? Anneli Rufus March 21, 2012

Historical Examples

Presently little Mrs. Bullivant came upstairs with a cup of tea and the aspirin, both of which she administered to the patient.
The War-Workers E.M. Delafield

“I think I’ll lie down for a minute,” she said, and asked for the aspirin.
Love and Lucy Maurice Henry Hewlett

It was balanced to a microgram—to a millionth of the combined weight of three aspirin tablets.
Space Platform Murray Leinster

He knows the aspirin will not cure the arthritis, but he wants to alleviate the symptom.
A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis Melvin Powers

The aspirin letter was in consequence indefinitely delayed, and Dodo had to telegraph instead.
Dodo Wonders E. F. Benson

noun (pl) -rin, -rins
a white crystalline compound widely used in the form of tablets to relieve pain and fever, to reduce inflammation, and to prevent strokes. Formula: CH3COOC6H4COOH Chemical name acetylsalicylic acid
a tablet of aspirin
n.

coined 1899 by German chemist Heinrich Dreser (1860-1924) in German as a trademark name, from Latin Spiraea (ulmaria) “meadow-sweet,” the plant in whose flowers or leaves the processed acid in the medicine is found naturally, + common chemical ending -in (see -ine (2)). The initial -a- is to acknowledge acetylation; Dreser said the word was a contraction of acetylierte spirsäure, the German name of the acid, which now is obsolete, replaced by salicylic acid.

Die Bezeichnung Aspirin ist abgeleitet aus “Spirsäure” — alter Name der Salicylsäure und A = Acetyl; statt” Acetylirte Spirsäure, kurzweg “Aspirin”. [H, Dreser, “Pharmakologisches über Aspirin (Acetylsalicylsäure),” in “Archiv für die Gesammte Physiologie des Menschen und der Thiere,” 1899, p.307]

Commercial names for medicinal products began in Germany in the late 19th century, when nascent pharmaceutical firms were discovering medical uses for common, easily made chemicals. To discourage competitors they’d market the substance under a short trademarked name a doctor could remember, rather than the long chemical compound word. German law required prescriptions to be filled exactly as written.

aspirin as·pi·rin (ās’pər-ĭn, -prĭn)
n.
A white, crystalline compound derived from salicylic acid and commonly used to relieve pain and reduce fever and inflammation. Also called acetylsalicylic acid.
aspirin
(ās’pər-ĭn, ās’prĭn)
A white crystalline compound derived from salicylic acid and used in medicine to relieve fever and pain and as an anticoagulant. Also called acetylsalicylic acid. Chemical formula: C9H8O4.

Our Living Language : Ninety percent of the population experiences at least one headache each year. The most common type is a tension headache, which is caused by stress and is characterized by tightening of the muscles in the base of the neck and along the scalp. Aspirin alleviates headaches by blocking the body’s production of prostaglandins, hormones that contribute to pain by stimulating muscle contraction and blood vessel dilation. For thousands of years, people chewed the bark of willow trees to control headache and other pain. The study of the properties of this medicinal plant led German chemist Hermann Kolbe to synthesize acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), a building block of aspirin, in 1859. A pure form of ASA wasn’t prepared until 1897, by Felix Hoffman, a chemist in the Bayer chemical factory in Germany. After publication of successful clinical trials, aspirin was distributed in powder form in 1899 and as a tablet in 1900. Aspirin possesses a number of properties that make it one of the most recommended drugs. Besides being an analgesic, or pain reliever, it also reduces inflammation that often accompanies injuries or diseases, such as arthritis. It is also an antipyretic compound, or fever reducer. Aspirin is the only over-the-counter analgesic approved for prevention of cardiovascular disease. New research suggests that aspirin may also decrease the risk of some forms of stroke. Additional studies indicate that aspirin may play a role in reducing the risks of ovarian cancer.

language, tool
A freeware language from MITRE Corporation for the description of neural networks. A compiler, bpmake, is included. Aspirin is designed for use with the MIGRAINES interface.
Version: 6.0, as of 1995-03-08.
(ftp://ftp.cognet.ucla.edu/alexis/).
(1995-03-08)