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 While poppy seeds are exempt from drug control under the Controlled Substances Act, opium contaminants on the seeds are not, the agency said. David Hilzenrath, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024 From the 1950s to the 1970s, CIA proprietary airlines flew arms into the Golden Triangle for anti-communist guerillas, and were suspected of flying out with the guerillas’ opium. Penn Bullock, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2024 Now, the four-bedroom, 3.5-bath home has many modern conveniences: a full-sized steam room; underwater lights in the boathouse swimming pool; and an old opium den that has been retrofitted to function as a wine cellar. Genevieve Redsten, Journal Sentinel, 13 Sep. 2024 The United Kingdom encouraged addiction to opium among the Chinese in the 1830s in order to undermine the Qing dynasty’s sovereignty. Sarah Chayes, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2020 See all Example Sentences for opium 

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 31 Oct. 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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