heroin

[ her-oh-in ]

/ ˈhɛr oʊ ɪn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR heroin ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Pharmacology.

a white, crystalline, narcotic powder, C21H23NO5, derived from morphine, formerly used as an analgesic and sedative: manufacture and importation of heroin are now controlled by federal law in the U.S. because of the danger of addiction.

Nearby words

heroic stanza, heroic verse, heroicize, heroicomic, heroics, heroin, heroin chic, heroine, heroinism, heroism, heroize

Origin of heroin

1895–1900; formerly trademark; < German Heroin < Greek hērō-, stem of hḗrōs hero + German -in -in²; allegedly so called from the feelings of power and euphoria which it stimulates

Also called diacetylmorphine, diamorphine.

Can be confused

heroin heroine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for heroin

The correspondent does a stand-up next to a burning pile of heroin and gets a taste of its effect.
BBC Reporter Gets High On The Job|Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like many rock stars of the time, Ramone lived there on-and-off for a time; he even detoxed from heroin there once.
‘All Good Cretins Go to Heaven’: Dee Dee Ramone’s Twisted Punk Paintings|Melissa Leon|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It remains a Schedule I narcotic to this day, considered as dangerous and addictive by the federal government as heroin and MDMA.
Pot-Smoking Grannies, Jimmy Fallon Covers U2, and More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The journey ends with Cooke discovering Joplin in her hotel room after she has overdosed on heroin.
Janis Joplin’s Kozmic Blues|William O’Connor|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That star would all too famously implode with her tragic death from a heroin overdose at a mere 27 years of age.
Janis Joplin’s Kozmic Blues|William O’Connor|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Codeine is one eighth the strength of morphine; heroin is three times as strong as morphine.
Habits that Handicap|Charles B. Towns
At this writing the most harmful form of opiate with which we have to deal is heroin.
Habits that Handicap|Charles B. Towns
For those who have opium, cocaine, veronal, or heroin to sell can always find a ready market in London and elsewhere.
Dope|Sax Rohmer
Small doses of morphin had a vogue; codein had its turn after its introduction, and heroin also had a time of popularity.
Psychotherapy|James J. Walsh
Heroin hydrochloride has been tried in their place, but this seems to have more power over slight than over severe cases.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for heroin

heroin

/ (ˈhɛrəʊɪn) /

noun

a white odourless bitter-tasting crystalline powder related to morphine: a highly addictive narcotic. Formula: C 21 H 23 NO 5Technical names: diamorphine, diacetylmorphine

Word Origin for heroin

C19: coined in German as a trademark, probably from hero, referring to its aggrandizing effect on the personality

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for heroin

heroin

[ hĕr′ō-ĭn ]

n.

A white, bitter, crystalline compound that is derived from morphine and is a highly addictive narcotic.diacetylmorphine

Science definitions for heroin

heroin

[ hĕr′ō-ĭn ]

A white, odorless, bitter crystalline compound, C17H17NO(C2H3O2)2, that is derived from morphine and is a highly addictive narcotic.

heroin

noun Pharmacology.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of heroin

Can be confused

Examples from the Web for heroin

British Dictionary definitions for heroin

heroin

noun

Word Origin for heroin

Medicine definitions for heroin

heroin

n.

Science definitions for heroin

heroin