: 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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebBut Branwell has his own troubles, battling alcoholism, an opium addiction and a troubling love affair with a married woman. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2022 Floral designs inspired by textiles from India and China—where the British bartered Indian opium for tea, silk and porcelain—were popular during the Age of Enlightenment. Brigit Katz, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Aug. 2022 Nearly 80% of the heroin produced from Afghan opium reaches Europe through Central Asia and Pakistan. Abdul Khaliq, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 June 2022 No fateful contingency could pursue him inside opium’s enchanted circle. Fitz Hugh Ludlow, Harper’s Magazine , 17 Aug. 2022 Like bad opium dreams, hallucinations already filled Salman Rushdie's novels—and even dogged I his nights. Staff Author Published, Peoplemag, 12 Aug. 2022 Illicit opium cultivation continued to represent a key part of economic activity. Margherita Stancati, WSJ, 17 July 2022 Day laborers can earn upwards of $300 a month harvesting opium from the poppies. Abdul Khaliq, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 June 2022 China fought the same war against the British opium trade for the same reasons.WSJ, 12 July 2022 See More
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 *sokwo-, whence also Old Church Slavic sokŭ "juice," Lithuanian sakaĩ "resin"