Pronunciation: ' l ō -v ə - ˌ sta-t ə n, ' l ə -; ˌ l ō -v ə - ' , ˌ l ə -
Function: noun
Etymology: probably from International Scientific Vocabulary meva lo nic acid, a carboxylic acid, C 6 H 12 O 4 (fr. me thyl + val eric + -onic as in gluconic acid ) + me vastatin , a fungal metabolite structurally similar to lovastatin, from meva lonic + -stat + 1 -in
Date: 1987
: a drug C 24 H 36 O 8 that decreases the level of cholesterol in the bloodstream