1. a colorless crystalline compound (CHBr₃) used as a sedative and hypnotic drug, now largely obsolete.
Usage: chemistry; medicine; archaic

Examples

• Bromal was once prescribed as a sleep aid in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• The chemist synthesized bromal in the laboratory for research purposes.
• Bromal has largely been replaced by safer, more effective sedative medications.
• Historical medical records show bromal was a common treatment for insomnia before modern drugs were developed.