oxytocic

adjective

oxy·​to·​cic ˌäk-si-ˈtō-sik How to pronounce oxytocic (audio)
: hastening childbirth
also : inducing contraction of uterine smooth muscle
oxytocic noun

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French oxytocique, from Greek oxy-, stem of oxýs "sharp, keen, quick, swift" + tókos "childbirth" + French -ique -ic entry 1 — more at oxygen, dystocia

Note: The French adjective is patterned on New Latin oxytocium "drug promoting a quick birth," an alteration—either deliberate or accidental—of ōcytocium in the same sense, borrowed from ancient Greek ōkytókion, nominalized from neuter of the adjective ōkytókios "promoting a quick birth" (with the noun phármakon "drug" understood). In Greek compounds ōkýs is more frequent in the meaning "quick, swift."

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oxytocic was in 1873

Rhymes for oxytocic

See All Rhymes for oxytocic

Browse Nearby Words

oxytocia
oxytocic
oxytocin
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Oxytocic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oxytocic. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

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Medical Definition

oxytocic

1 of 2 adjective
oxy·​to·​cic ˌäk-si-ˈtō-sik How to pronounce oxytocic (audio)
: hastening childbirth
also : inducing contraction of uterine smooth muscle

oxytocic

2 of 2 noun
: a substance that stimulates contraction of uterine smooth muscle or hastens childbirth
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