somniferous

[ som-nif-er-uhs, suhm- ]

/ sɒmˈnɪf ər əs, səm- /

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adjective

bringing or inducing sleep, as drugs or influences.

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Origin of somniferous

1595–1605; <Latin somnifer inducing sleep (somni-, combining form of somnus sleep + -fer-fer) + -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM somniferous

som·nif·er·ous·ly, adverb

Words nearby somniferous

somnambulate, somnambulism, somnambulist, somni-, somnifacient, somniferous, somnific, somniloquy, somnolent, Somnus, somoni

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use somniferous in a sentence

I did not find the jolting of the cart at all disagreeable; on the contrary, it had quite a somniferous effect upon me.
Lavengro|George Borrow
This yelp, sounding above the somniferous monotone of grumbling, stirred Cap'n Sproul from his dozing.
The Skipper and the Skipped|Holman Day
They were aware of the somniferous properties of the sap, and Dioscorides2005 mentions the variety with white seeds.
Origin of Cultivated Plants|Alphonse De Candolle
It was of a remarkably somniferous character,—the cunning Le Duc had evidently some object in playing thus.
From Powder Monkey to Admiral|W.H.G. Kingston

Night otherwise fallen dark and somniferous to modern mankind.
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XI. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle

British Dictionary definitions for somniferous

somniferous

somnific

/ (sɒmˈnɪfərəs) /

adjective

rare tending to induce sleep

Derived forms of somniferous

somniferously, adverb

Word Origin for somniferous

C17: from Latin somnifer (from somnus sleep + ferre to do) + -ous

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

somniferous

Origin of somniferous

OTHER WORDS FROM somniferous

Words nearby somniferous

Words related to somniferous

How to use somniferous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for somniferous

somnific

Derived forms of somniferous

Word Origin for somniferous