HealthAugust 18, 2026

metformin

MET-for-min

Definition

A common prescription medication used to treat type 2 diabetes by helping control blood sugar levels.

Etymology

The name is a portmanteau derived from its chemical structure: 'met-' from methylguanide and '-formin' from biguanide, the class of drugs to which it belongs.

In the news

In the article, researchers are comparing the health outcomes of patients who take newer diabetes medications in combination with metformin versus those who take the new medications alone.

Summer Research Fellows advance research discoveries across the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Read the full article ↗

Binghamton University

Related words

Learn a word like this every day

Meet one new word every morning.

Newspoken pulls one carefully chosen word from the day’s news — with a clear definition, context, and light review that makes it stick. Get it on your phone.