 |
Pronunciation: sper′mă-set′ē
Definition: A peculiar fatty, waxy substance, chiefly cetin (cetyl palmitate), obtained from the head of the sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus; used to impart firmness to ointment bases.
Synonym(s): cetaceum
[sperma- + G. ketos, whale]
Examples: glitazone, GI cocktail, etc.
Drugs.com provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines & natural products. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Data sources include Micromedex™ (updated Apr 16th, 2012), Cerner Multum™ (updated May 18th, 2012), Wolters Kluwer™ (updated Apr 29th, 2012) and others.
To view content sources and attributions, refer to our editorial policy.
Copyright © 2000-2012 Drugs.com. All rights reserved.
We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information.
Verify here
