diethylstilbestrol: Meaning and Definition of

di•eth•yl•stil•bes•trol

1. a nonsteroidal synthetic estrogen, CHO, used in medicine chiefly in the treatment of menopausal symptoms and in animal feeds for chemical caponization: formerly used during pregnancy for the prevention of miscarriage but discontinued owing to its association with an increased risk of vaginal and cervical cancers in women having had fetal exposure. Abbr.: DES&hasp;