placebo

American  

[pluh-see-boh, plah-chey-boh] / pləˈsi boʊ, plɑˈtʃeɪ boʊ /

noun

plural

placebos, placeboes

1. Medicine/Medical, Pharmacology.

   1. a substance having no pharmacological effect but given merely to satisfy a patient who supposes it to be a medicine.

   2. a substance having no pharmacological effect but administered as a control in testing experimentally or clinically the efficacy of a biologically active preparation.

2. Roman Catholic Church. the vespers of the office for the dead: so called from the initial word of the first antiphon, taken from Psalm 114:9 of the Vulgate.

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placebo British  

/ pləˈsiːbəʊ /

noun

1. med an inactive substance or other sham form of therapy administered to a patient usually to compare its effects with those of a real drug or treatment, but sometimes for the psychological benefit to the patient through his believing he is receiving treatment See also control group placebo effect

2. something said or done to please or humour another

3. RC Church a traditional name for the vespers of the office for the dead

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placebo Scientific  

/ plə-sē′bō /

1. A substance containing no medication and prescribed to reinforce a patient's expectation of getting well or used as a control in a clinical research trial to determine the effectiveness of a potential new drug.

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placebo Cultural  

1. A substance containing no active drug, administered to a patient participating in a medical experiment as a control.

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Discover More

Those receiving a placebo often get better, a phenomenon known as the placebo effect.

Etymology

Origin of placebo

1175–1225 placebo for def. 2; 1775–85 placebo for def. 1; Middle English < Latin placēbō “I shall be pleasing, acceptable”

Example Sentences

The trial also demonstrated improvement relative to a placebo.

From Barron's

Participants were assigned to receive either evolocumab injections every two weeks or a placebo.

From Science Daily

About two-thirds received enlicitide, while the rest were given a placebo.

From Science Daily

The company said patients who were on the highest dose lost 15.3% of their weight while those in the placebo group lost 2.6%.

From The Wall Street Journal

Huynh said he was surprised at how few placebo patients in Structure’s study gained weight, and suggested investors wait to see Structure’s Phase 3 results.

From Barron's