laudanum

[ lawd-n-uhm, lawd-nuhm ]
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noun
  1. a tincture of opium.

  2. Obsolete. any preparation in which opium is the chief ingredient.

Origin of laudanum

1
1595–1605; originally Medieval Latin variant of ladanum; arbitrarily used by Paracelsus to name a remedy based on opium

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British Dictionary definitions for laudanum

laudanum

/ (ˈlɔːdənəm) /


noun
  1. a tincture of opium

  2. (formerly) any medicine of which opium was the main ingredient

Origin of laudanum

1
C16: New Latin, name chosen by Paracelsus for a preparation probably containing opium, perhaps based on labdanum

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