What does enalapril mean?
Enalapril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, a class of medication widely prescribed to lower blood pressure and to treat heart failure. Taken orally, usually as the salt enalapril maleate, it works by blocking the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II, a hormone that narrows blood vessels; relaxing the vessels allows blood to flow more freely and eases the workload on the heart. Developed by researchers at Merck in the late 1970s as a longer-acting alternative to the earlier ACE inhibitor captopril, enalapril became one of the most extensively studied and widely used cardiovascular drugs of its era. The word belongs firmly to the register of medicine and pharmacology — patients encounter it on prescriptions and in leaflets, while clinicians discuss it alongside related agents such as lisinopril and ramipril. Its chemical name reflects its structure as a dipeptide analogue built from alanine and proline, a detail preserved in its coined name.
nounEnalapril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. It is administered orally, usually as the maleate salt.
- An orally active ACE inhibitor prodrug, taken as enalapril maleate, used to treat hypertension and heart failure.
"Her doctor switched her from atenolol to enalapril after her blood pressure remained stubbornly high."
"The patient was started on 5 mg of enalapril once daily to bring his blood pressure under control."
"Studies showed that enalapril reduced mortality in patients with symptomatic heart failure."
Rare; enalapril is normally an uncountable mass noun. The plural appears only in technical writing when referring to multiple formulations, brands, or measured doses.
"The pharmacy stocked several generic enalaprils from different manufacturers."
Enalapril was one of Merck's first blockbuster drugs — developed in the late 1970s as an improved, longer-lasting successor to captopril, it helped turn ACE inhibitors into a mainstay of modern blood-pressure medicine.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of enalapril
The name enalapril was coined in the late 1970s by its developers at Merck, following the naming convention of ACE inhibitor drugs ending in '-pril'. The name is built from elements of its chemical identity: 'en' from ethoxycarbonyl, combined with fragments referencing its amino-acid components alanine ('ala') and proline ('pril', echoing proline). Related drugs such as lisinopril, ramipril, and quinapril share the same '-pril' suffix convention, making them recognisable as members of the same pharmacological family.
How enalapril is actually used
A technical pharmaceutical term used almost exclusively in medical, pharmacological, and regulatory contexts rather than everyday conversation. In practice it is treated as an uncountable mass noun; plural forms are rare and appear mainly in clinical or laboratory contexts referring to multiple preparations or doses.
Easily confused with enalapril
Enalapril is the oral prodrug, while enalaprilat is its active metabolite that must be given intravenously because it is not absorbed orally.
Both are ACE inhibitors for hypertension, but lisinopril is a different drug with different dosing and pharmacokinetics.