opium

[oh-pee-uh m]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR opium ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the dried, condensed juice of a poppy, Papaver somniferum, that has a narcotic, soporific, analgesic, and astringent effect and contains morphine, codeine, papaverine, and other alkaloids used in medicine in their isolated or derived forms: a narcotic substance, poisonous in large doses.

anything that causes dullness or inaction or that soothes the mind or emotions.

Nearby words

Origin of opium

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek ópion poppy juice, equivalent to op(ós) sap, juice + -ion diminutive suffix

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

Examples from the Web for opium

And almost no event plays a larger role in that identity as a victim than the Opium Wars.
We're Still Fighting the Opium Wars|William O’Connor|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2011, Iran accounted for 80 per cent of the opium seizures in the world, and 30 percent of the heroin seizures.
As Iran’s Marijuana Trade Thrives, Is It Becoming a Nation of Stoners?|IranWire|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Before the war, international rules were established to try and curtail the opium trade in the east.
When Drugs Were Legal: The Anti-Opium Campaign|Brian Kelly|March 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the end, the big question this book deals with is: What forces led to the prohibition of opium?
When Drugs Were Legal: The Anti-Opium Campaign|Brian Kelly|March 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I want a dressing gown made from it, to inspire my opium dreams.
Lucy in the Sky with ... Snuff?|Blake Gopnik|December 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Many say that the use of opium is no evil, but those who say that have never known India, or else they are blind.
Letters of a Javanese Princess|Raden Adjeng Kartini
It is as false a stimulant as opium or alcohol, and leaves a corresponding mark.
The Translation of a Savage, Complete|Gilbert Parker
The poppy, on the other hand, produces nothing but opium and its alkaloids.
Drugging a Nation|Samuel Merwin
In his book he affirms that it is only in recent years that opium has been grown in China.
The Truth about Opium|William H. Brereton
His knowledge of Constantinople seemed to be nil, while the information he got out of me would not have filled his opium pipe.
Caught by the Turks|Francis Yeats-Brown

British Dictionary definitions for opium

opium

noun

the dried juice extracted from the unripe seed capsules of the opium poppy that contains alkaloids such as morphine and codeine: used in medicine as an analgesic

something having a tranquillizing or stupefying effect

Word Origin for opium

C14: from Latin: poppy juice, from Greek opion, diminutive of opos juice of a plant

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

Word Origin and History for opium

opium

late 14c., from Latin opium, from Greek opion "poppy juice, poppy," diminutive of opos "vegetable juice."

Die Religion ist der Seufzer der bedrängten Kreatur, das Gemüth einer herzlosen Welt, wie sie der Geist geistloser Zustände ist. Sie ist das Opium des Volks. [Karl Marx, "Zur Kritik der Hegel'schen Rechts-Philosophie," in "Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher," February, 1844]

The British Opium War against China lasted from 1839-42; the name is attested from 1841.

Medicine definitions for opium

opium

[ō′pē-əm]

n.

A bitter, yellowish-brown, strongly addictive narcotic drug prepared from the dried juice of unripe pods of the opium poppy and containing alkaloids such as morphine, codeine, and papaverine.meconium

Science definitions for opium

opium

[ō′pē-əm]

A highly addictive, yellowish-brown drug obtained from the pods of a variety of poppy, from which other drugs, such as morphine, are prepared.

Culture definitions for opium

opium

A highly addictive drug obtained from the poppy plant. Several other drugs, such as morphine and codeine, are derived from opium.

opium

noun

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Origin of opium

Examples from the Web for opium

opium

noun

Word Origin for opium

opium

opium

n.

opium

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