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Entactogen is a descriptive name applied to psychoactive drugs with effects similar to those of MDMA. The term was coined by David Nichols as an alternative to "empathogen", owing to the potential for improper association of the latter with negative concepts related to the Greek root "pathos" (suffering). The word "entactogen" is derived from the roots "en" (Greek: within), "tactus" (Latin: touch) and "gen" (Greek: produce).