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Opium - Dictionary Definition and Overview |
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Opium : (noun)
1: an addictive narcotic extracted from seed capsules of the
opium poppy
Based on WordNet 2.0
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Opium : \O"pi*um\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ? poppy juice, dim. of ?
vegetable juice.] (Chem.)
The inspissated juice of the Papaver somniferum, or white
poppy.
Note: Opium is obtained from incisions made in the capsules
of the plant, and the best flows from the first
incision. It is imported into Europe and America
chiefly from the Levant, and large quantities are sent
to China from India, Persia, and other countries. It is
of a brownish yellow color, has a faint smell, and
bitter and acrid taste. It is a stimulant narcotic
poison, which may produce hallicinations, profound
sleep, or death. It is much used in medicine to soothe
pain and inflammation, and is smoked as an intoxicant
with baneful effects.
Opium joint, a low resort of opium smokers. [Slang]
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
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Opium : Opium: An addictive narcotic drug derived from the unripe seedpods of the opium poppy. Preparations of opium were called laudanum. Derivatives of laudanum include paregoric (a drug to treat
heroin .
For centuries, opium was used as a painkiller in the Middle and Far East. It gained great popularity in Europe and the European colonies in the 18th century and became a main ingredient in patent
medicines that patients could easily obtain without a pain from wounds often received morphine. By 1900, it is estimated that more than 200,000 people in the US were addicted to opium and its
derivatives. The US Congress passed a law in 1909 prohibiting the manufacture and sale of opium.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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