What does sulfanilamide mean?
Sulfanilamide is a specific sulfonamide antibacterial compound whose systematic chemical name is p-aminobenzenesulfonamide. Introduced during the 1930s, it was among the first practical antimicrobial medicines and was once used against susceptible bacterial infections. Its importance lies in the broader family of sulfa drugs, which helped transform the treatment of bacterial disease before and alongside the rise of penicillin. Sulfanilamide itself has largely given way to newer, more effective, and generally better-tolerated antibiotics, although it remains familiar in medical history, pharmacology, and discussions of drug allergy. In writing, the term normally refers to the particular compound, not the entire sulfonamide class. A reference to a sulfa drug allergy therefore does not automatically constitute a reference to sulfanilamide allergy. Although specialized rather than everyday, the word offers a striking example of how one chemical compound helped usher in a new era in medicine.
nounA sulfonamide antibacterial compound, systematically named p-aminobenzenesulfonamide, that was formerly used to treat susceptible bacterial infections and is now largely replaced by newer antibiotics.
- A specific sulfonamide antibacterial compound formerly used to treat susceptible bacterial infections, especially before more effective antibiotics became widely available.
"Doctors once prescribed sulfanilamide for susceptible bacterial infections before safer and more effective medicines became available."
"Doctors once prescribed sulfanilamide for susceptible bacterial infections."
"The compound remains familiar in medical history and in discussions of reactions to sulfonamide medicines."
Rare; the word is normally used in the singular or as an uncountable name for the compound.
"Several sulfanilamides were investigated as potential antibacterial agents."
This pioneering “sulfa drug” helped open the antibiotic era, long before penicillin pushed it into medical history.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sulfanilamide come from?
The name is an English-language chemical coinage formed for an amide of sulfanilic acid, a compound closely related to aniline. Its systematic chemical name, p-aminobenzenesulfonamide, also reflects its place within the sulfonamide family. The sulfur element in these names ultimately comes from Latin sulphur, meaning sulfur.
Related word forms
How sulfanilamide is actually used
This is a specialized technical term with a strongly historical character in general writing. It normally denotes the particular compound rather than the entire class of sulfa drugs.
Easily confused with sulfanilamide
Sulfanilamide is one specific sulfonamide compound, whereas sulfonamide also names the broader chemical class that includes many antibacterial sulfa drugs.