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

Nearly every shelf holds an interesting historic artifact, including everything from Chinese opium sets and pieces of Roman ruins to Egyptian glass figurines and an octopus pot from Greece. —Lennie Omalza, Louisville Courier Journal, 13 Nov. 2025

Both findings stretching over a millennium across socio-economic groups raise the distinct possibility that opium is present among the large quantity of alabaster vessels found in Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Koh said. —Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025

Archaeologists previously identified opium residue in jugs belonging to a merchant class family’s tomb dating back to the New Kingdom (16th to 11th century BCE). —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 12 Nov. 2025

Earlier this year, he was arrested for allegedly trafficking opium or heroin, along with possession with intent to sell or distribute marijuana, according to police. —Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025

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