Word
morphine
Phoneticsmor·phine
US/ˈmɔɹfin/
UK/mˈɔːfiːn/
Definition
n. a very strong medicine that doctors use to stop severe pain. It is usually given in hospitals after a serious injury or surgery.
n. a potent analgesic drug derived from opium, used primarily for the relief of severe or chronic pain. It acts directly on the central nervous system to decrease the perception of pain.
Examples
“The doctor gave him morphine to help with the pain.”
“After the major operation, the patient was monitored closely while receiving morphine through an intravenous drip.”
“While morphine remains the gold standard for treating acute post-operative pain, its administration requires careful clinical supervision due to the risk of respiratory depression and potential for physical dependence.”
Examples
simple
“The doctor gave him morphine to help with the pain.”
contextual
“After the major operation, the patient was monitored closely while receiving morphine through an intravenous drip.”
complex
“While morphine remains the gold standard for treating acute post-operative pain, its administration requires careful clinical supervision due to the risk of respiratory depression and potential for physical dependence.”
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the drug generally; can be countable when referring to specific doses or types in a medical context.
Real-World Examples
“Groggy and still on morphine from the operation, I was wheeled up to the NICU.” “At the same time, they did not bind to commonly used medical opioids such as morphine, oxycodone, remifentanil and alfentanil.” Etymology
Borrowed from French morphine or German Morphin, from Ancient Greek Μορφεύς (Morpheús, “the god and personification of dreams”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/morphine