opium

noun

opi·​um ˈō-pē-əm 

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

Later, Dorian visits an opium den, which Williams transforms into a modern-day nightclub, complete with techno, strobe lights, and a gay character smoking from a crystal meth pipe. —Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025

In the 1940s, military actions focused on eradicating crops such as marijuana and opium. —Anna Lagos, WIRED, 24 Jan. 2025

Unlike rice or wheat, opium could be grown and sold to ensure a steady income even in times of climatic uncertainty. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024

But thanks to American efforts to eradicate poppy — and the opium trade — people had flocked to the desert district, where the Taliban embraced them. —Azam Ahmed, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024

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 *sok^wo-, whence also Old Church Slavic sokŭ "juice," Lithuanian sakaĩ "resin"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing opium

• opium poppy

Rhymes for opium

• europium

Kids Definition

opium

noun

opi·​um ˈō-pē-əm 

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 

: 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