noun

tranquilizer

TRANG-kwuh-lye-zer/ˈtræŋkwəˌlaɪzər/

A drug that calms a person or animal.

The delivered tranquilizer leaves the rhinoceros resting quietly beside the dart.

A tranquilizer dart beside a rhinoceros resting quietly with a matching dart lodged superficially in its muscular hindquarter, making the drug-delivery object and its calming effect visible together.

Etymology

tranquilEnglishcalm, quiet

+izEnglishmake or render

+erEnglishone or something that

A tranquilizer is literally someone or something that makes calm. The word narrowed from this general calming role to a sedative substance and then to anti-anxiety drugs.

In context

John Prior20:25

young moose cow decided not to come home to the farm, a special expedition is organized using a direction-finding receiver. We find her with the radio transmitter tag, inject a tranquilizer using a crossbow

The Best Moose Documentary EVER.

More examples

Several tranquilizers were compared.
She asked about the prescribed tranquilizer.
The report identified the tranquilizer.

Forms

tranquilizer · tranquilizers

Similar words

sedative: Promotes calm or sleep, with overlapping but not identical uses.
anesthetic: Blocks sensation rather than simply calming.