opium poppy

noun

: an annual Eurasian poppy (Papaver somniferum) cultivated since antiquity as the source of opium, for its edible oily seeds, or for its showy flowers

Examples of opium poppy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That shouldn’t have been surprising — poppy seeds, like the ones in Horton’s salad, are derived from the opium poppy plant and contain codeine. Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2024 Ancient Egyptians soothed their wounds with aloe-vera gel; morphine and codeine came from the opium poppy; Ozempic was inspired by a peptide in lizard venom. Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024 Mandrake, hellebore, hyoscyamus, opium poppy, ergot fungi, peyote, cannabis. Martha McPhee, Vogue, 24 July 2024 For decades, farmers in southern Afghanistan relied on opium poppies to make a living in their parched desert landscape. Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 21 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for opium poppy 

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

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of opium poppy was in 1849

Dictionary Entries Near opium poppy

Cite this Entry

“Opium poppy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opium%20poppy. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

opium poppy

noun
: an annual Eurasian poppy grown for opium, for its edible oily seeds, and for its showy flowers

Medical Definition

opium poppy

noun
: an annual Eurasian poppy (Papaver somniferum) cultivated since antiquity as the source of opium, for its edible oily seeds, or for its showy flowers

More from Merriam-Webster on opium poppy

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