Opium

Opium

Noun · /ˈəʊ.pi.əm/ · a narcotic drug; a source of sedation or false comfort

Definition

A powerful narcotic substance obtained from the dried juice of the opium poppy. Figuratively: anything that numbs thought, suppresses dissent, or provides illusory comfort — as in Marx's phrase "religion is the opium of the people."

Origin

From Latin opium, from Greek opion (poppy juice), diminutive of opos (plant juice). Used in medicine for millennia; its figurative sense emerged prominently in the 19th century.