opium
n. uncountablen. a powerful drug made from the juice of a specific type of poppy flower. It is used to reduce pain or help people sleep, but it is also very addictive.
n. a reddish-brown, addictive drug prepared from the thickened juice of the opium poppy. It contains alkaloids such as morphine and is used medicinally as an analgesic or illicitly as a narcotic.
The doctor explained the history of opium in medicine.
During the nineteenth century, opium was a common ingredient in many household medicines used to treat pain and coughs.
The trade of opium across international borders led to significant geopolitical conflicts and social crises throughout the nineteenth century, reshaping the economic landscape of several empires.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sokʷós Ancient Greek ὀπός (opós) Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Ancient Greek -ῐος (-ĭos)? Ancient Greek -ῐον (-ĭon) Ancient Greek ὄπιον (ópion)bor. Latin opiumbor. ▲ Ancient Greek ὄπιον (ópion)bor. English opium Borrowed from Latin opium and Ancient Greek ὄπιον (ópion), from ὀπός (opós, “juice of a plant”), from Proto-Indo-European *sokʷós (“juice, resin”).