opium

noun

opi·​um ˈō-pē-əm How to pronounce opium (audio)
1
: a bitter brownish addictive narcotic drug that consists of the dried latex obtained from immature seed capsules of the opium poppy
2
: something having an effect like that of opium

Examples of opium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Historically liberal Hong Kong was the happy creation of an unjust imperial British war against the decrepit Chinese empire over the rights of opium merchants. Doug Bandow, National Review, 10 Feb. 2024 The duo of trios was slated to turn Starlet Room into some madcap version of an avant-garde folk-blues opium den in April, but a health scare derailed the plans. Aaron Davis, Sacramento Bee, 28 Jan. 2024 In 2012, the third deadliest year for U.S. troops during the war in Afghanistan, Major Haley raised his hand for a mission focused on teaching farmers in the country to grow and sell crops other than opium. Matthew Rosenberg, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2024 Recommended The violent political turmoil in Myanmar has contributed to the opium production increase. Grant Peck, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Dec. 2023 And there are very distinct recurrent themes that run through Poe's work that help tie the material together: madness, guilt, disease, opium, family, omens, doppelgängers, fears of being buried alive, resurrections, and of course, the tragic death of a beautiful young woman. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 13 Oct. 2023 There are very distinct recurrent themes that run through Poe's work: madness, guilt, disease, opium, family, omens, doppelgängers, fear of being buried alive, and of course, the tragic death of a beautiful young woman. Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 29 Dec. 2023 People and goods easily cross the border with China, generating a prosperous economy anchored in casinos, gold and jade mining, timber, tea, and—less than before—opium and methamphetamine. Andrew Ong, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023 Drug markets in Canada and the United States have long been intertwined, dating to the late 1800s and early 1900s when opium factories in the Vancouver area provided supply to the south. David Ovalle and Nick Miroff The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 25 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'opium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Latin, "latex of the opium poppy, drug made from this latex," borrowed from Greek ópion, diminutive of opós "plant juice, latex," going back (with generalization of Ionic loss of h-) to Indo-European *sokwo-, whence also Old Church Slavic sokŭ "juice," Lithuanian sakaĩ "resin"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of opium was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near opium

Cite this Entry

“Opium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opium. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

opium

noun
opi·​um ˈō-pē-əm How to pronounce opium (audio)
1
: a bitter brownish narcotic drug that causes addiction and is the dried juice of the unripe fruit capsule of the opium poppy
2
: something having an effect like that of opium

Medical Definition

opium

noun
opi·​um ˈō-pē-əm How to pronounce opium (audio)
: a highly addictive drug that consists of the dried milky juice from the seed capsules of the opium poppy obtained from incisions made in the unripe capsules of the plant, that has a brownish yellow color, a faint smell, and a bitter and acrid taste, that is a stimulant narcotic usually producing a feeling of well-being, hallucinations, and drowsiness terminating in coma or death if the dose is excessive, that was formerly used in medicine to soothe pain but is now often replaced by derivative alkaloids (as morphine or codeine) or synthetic substitutes, and that is smoked illicitly as an intoxicant with harmful effects

More from Merriam-Webster on opium

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