xylazine
English
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈzaɪləzɪn/
Noun
xylazine (uncountable)
- (pharmacology) A potent α2-adrenergic agonist used for sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia in large mammals.
- Synonyms: sedazine, xylacine, xylazil, (slang) tranq, (slang) tranq dope
- 2022 December 24, Noah Weiland, “A High-Tech Strategy for Keeping Drug Users Safe: Analyzing Their Fentanyl”, in The New York Times:
- The user had a hunch that there was fentanyl in the powder but feared the presence of xylazine, a dangerous animal tranquilizer that can leave oozing wounds on limbs.
- 2023 January 7, Jan Hoffman, “Tranq Dope: Animal Sedative Mixed With Fentanyl Brings Fresh Horror to U.S. Drug Zones”, in The New York Times, ISSN 0362-4331:
- In her shattered Philadelphia neighborhood, and increasingly in drug hot zones around the country, an animal tranquilizer called xylazine — known by street names like “tranq,” “tranq dope” and “zombie drug” — is being used to bulk up illicit fentanyl, making its impact even more devastating.