morphine

[ mawr-feen ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a white, bitter, crystalline alkaloid, C 1 7 H 1 9 NO 3 ⋅H 2 O, the most important narcotic and addictive principle of opium, obtained by extraction and crystallization and used chiefly in medicine as a pain reliever and sedative.

morphine

/ ˈmɔːfiːn; ˈmɔːfɪə /

noun

1. an alkaloid extracted from opium: used in medicine as an analgesic and sedative, although repeated use causes addiction. Formula: C 17 H 19 NO 3

morphine

/ môr′fēn′ /

1. A highly addictive drug derived from opium and used to treat intractable pain, as in severe injury or metastatic cancer.

morphine

1. An addictive drug derived from opium that is used as an analgesic and sedative.

Other Words From

• mor·phin·ic [mawr-, fin, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of morphine¹

From the German word Morphin, dating back to 1820–30. See Morpheus, -ine ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of morphine¹

C19: from French, from Morpheus

Example Sentences

Another class of drugs that exploit a natural mechanism to decrease the ability of CaV2.2 to respond to pain signalling are the opioid drugs, like morphine and heroin.

From Science Daily

He was taken to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where he was given morphine for the pain; he lapsed into a coma and died a few weeks later.

From Los Angeles Times

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine and a leading cause of opioid-related deaths in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

Unlike synthetic opioids produced using chemicals in a lab, heroin and morphine are refined from the gum extracted from Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy.

From Salon

Lucy Letby gave a baby 10 times the prescribed dose of morphine "in error" two years before her killing spree began, a public inquiry has heard.

From BBC

Related Words

• aspirin
• drug
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• opiate
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