Morphine

Morphine

Noun · /ˈmɔː.fiːn/

Definition

A potent analgesic (painkiller) derived from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), used medically to treat severe pain; the principal active alkaloid of opium; a highly addictive drug that acts on the central nervous system's opioid receptors.

Origin

Named after Morpheus — the Greek god of dreams and sleep (from morphē, form or shape, because Morpheus gave form to dreams) — by the German pharmacist Friedrich Sertürner, who isolated the compound from opium in approximately 1804-1805 and published his findings in 1817. The naming reflecting the drug's sleep-inducing and dream-like qualities. Morpheus also giving the words morphology (the study of form) and amorphous (without form). The word morphine entering English in the early 19th century as the drug became medically significant.