opiate
opiate Lexical Profile
opiate Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A narcotic drug derived directly from the opium poppy, such as morphine or codeine, used medically to relieve severe pain or induce sleep.
"The physician prescribed a mild opiate to help manage the patient's post-surgical discomfort."
Something that soothes the mind, dulls the senses, or induces inaction, complacency, or false comfort.
"Critics argued that superficial entertainment was being used as an opiate to distract the public from pressing economic reforms."
• adjective
Relating to, containing, or derived from opium; inducing sleep, numbness, or a state of dull tranquility.
"The patient drifted into an opiate slumber shortly after the medication was administered."
• verb
To treat, impregnate, or mix with opium or a narcotic derivative; figuratively, to dull, deaden, or lull into complacency.
"Endless hours of passive television viewing seemed to opiate his critical faculties."
Word Nuance & Usage
In strict medical and pharmacological contexts, 'opiate' refers specifically to natural alkaloids derived directly from the opium poppy (such as morphine and codeine), whereas 'opioid' is a broader category encompassing natural opiates as well as semi-synthetic and fully synthetic drugs that bind to the same brain receptors.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Medieval Latin opiatus ('mixed with opium'), derived from Classical Latin opium and ultimately from Ancient Greek opion ('poppy juice'), a diminutive of opos ('vegetable juice' or 'plant sap').