placebo

[ pluh-see-boh plah-chey-boh ]

noun

, plural pla·ce·bos, pla·ce·boes.

1. Medicine/Medical, Pharmacology. Compare nocebo ( def 1 ).
   1. a substance having no pharmacological effect but given merely to satisfy a patient who supposes it to be a medicine.
   2. a substance having no pharmacological effect but administered as a control in testing experimentally or clinically the efficacy of a biologically active preparation.
2. Roman Catholic Church. the vespers of the office for the dead: so called from the initial word of the first antiphon, taken from Psalm 114:9 of the Vulgate.

placebo

/ pləˈsiːbəʊ /

noun

1. med an inactive substance or other sham form of therapy administered to a patient usually to compare its effects with those of a real drug or treatment, but sometimes for the psychological benefit to the patient through his believing he is receiving treatment See also control group placebo effect
2. something said or done to please or humour another
3. RC Church a traditional name for the vespers of the office for the dead

placebo

/ plə-sē′bō /

1. A substance containing no medication and prescribed to reinforce a patient's expectation of getting well or used as a control in a clinical research trial to determine the effectiveness of a potential new drug.

placebo

1. A substance containing no active drug, administered to a patient participating in a medical experiment as a control.

Notes

Those receiving a placebo often get better, a phenomenon known as the placebo effect .

Word History and Origins

Origin of placebo¹

1175–1225 placebo fordef 2; 1775–85 placebo fordef 1; Middle English < Latin placēbō “I shall be pleasing, acceptable”

Word History and Origins

Origin of placebo¹

C13 (in the ecclesiastical sense): from Latin Placebo Domino I shall please the Lord (from the opening of the office for the dead); C19 (in the medical sense)

Example Sentences

Each group was further divided into those receiving active atDCS and those receiving placebo stimulation.

From Science Daily

Volunteers who took the drug performed no better in cognitive or everyday-life activities than those who received a placebo.

From Science Magazine

In their new study, the team wanted to confirm the drug's efficacy in a more rigorous comparison against a placebo using a double-blind randomized clinical trial design.

From Science Daily

The patients either received a placebo or the vitamin B3 in doses of two grams a day.

From Science Daily

At a later date, all of the volunteers were given either a single dose of prescribed sodium-oxybate liquid medicine or a dummy or placebo.

From BBC