noun
opium
OH-pee-uhm
noun
1
An addictive narcotic drug made from the dried sap of the opium poppy, containing morphine and other alkaloids.
"Opium was widely used as a painkiller before modern medicine developed safer alternatives."
2
Something that dulls the mind or distracts people from harsh realities, used figuratively.
"Karl Marx famously called religion the "opium of the people.""
How to Use Opium
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA powerful drug from poppies, or figuratively anything that numbs people to their problems.
Common pairings
opium poppy
opium den
opium trade
Word Forms
opiums plural, opia plural
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_____ was widely used as a painkiller before modern medicine developed safer alternatives.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin opium and ultimately Greek opion, from opos, "juice of a plant."