Aspirin: A Brand Name That Became an Ordinary Word
Aspirin is a common painkiller and anti-inflammatory drug, acetylsalicylic acid. It began as a Bayer trademark and lost its capital letter in most of the world.
Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, a drug used to relieve pain, reduce fever and, in low doses, to thin the blood. It has been sold since 1899 and remains one of the most widely used medicines in the world.
The name was a Bayer trademark. Germany lost the mark in several countries under the Treaty of Versailles, and elsewhere it became generic through sheer use. In the United States it is an ordinary noun; in Canada and Germany it is still a brand.
- A painkilling drug. *Take an aspirin and lie down.*
- A tablet of it. *There are two aspirins left.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (uncountable) | aspirin | Aspirin thins the blood. |
| Noun (countable) | an aspirin | She took an aspirin. |
| Plural | aspirins | Two aspirins. |
| Chemical name | acetylsalicylic acid | Printed on the packet. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Low-dose aspirin is prescribed after some heart attacks.The blood-thinning use.
- Do not give aspirin to children.Standard medical warning, because of Reye's syndrome.
- He swallowed two aspirins without water.Countable use.
Brand names that became words
- aspirin — Bayer
- escalator — Otis
- heroin — also Bayer, in the same period
- trampoline, zipper, thermos — all former trademarks now generic in most countries
The name was built from *a-* for acetyl, *spir* from *Spiraea*, the meadowsweet plant that yields salicylic acid, and the ending *-in*, common in drug names of the era.
Is aspirin the same as paracetamol?
No. Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid and reduces inflammation; paracetamol, known as acetaminophen in the United States, does not.
Why is aspirin capitalised in some countries?
Because Bayer still holds the trademark there, including in Canada and Germany. In the United States, France and the United Kingdom it is generic.