thebaine

[ thee-buh-een, thi-bey-een, -in ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a white, crystalline, slightly water-soluble, poisonous alkaloid, C 19 H 21 NO 3 , present in opium in small quantities, but having a strychninelike rather than a narcotic effect.

thebaine

/ ˈθiːbəˌiːn; θɪˈbeɪiːn; -aɪn /

noun

1. a poisonous white crystalline alkaloid, found in opium but without opioid actions. Formula: C 19 H 21 NO 3 Also calledparamorphine

Word History and Origins

Origin of thebaine¹

1890–95; < New Latin thēba ( ia ) opium of Thebes, Egypt (alteration of Latin Thēbaea, feminine of Thēbaeus Theban) + -ine ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of thebaine¹

C19: from New Latin thebaia opium of Thebes (with reference to Egypt as a chief source of opium) + -ine ²

Example Sentences

Poppy seeds do not contain opiates, but when they are harvested, they can be contaminated by the morphine, codeine and thebaine that are in a fluid that oozes from the plant.

From New York Times

Michelle Carlin, an assistant professor of toxicology and forensic chemistry at Rutgers University, said she had analyzed bags of poppy seeds from different grocery stores and found that “even within the same bag, there’s a big variation in the amount of morphine, codeine and thebaine.”

From New York Times

Long before a patient in the United States filled a prescription for OxyContin, a farmer on another continent harvested a poppy rich in a substance called thebaine.

From New York Times

Luxury cars aside, farmers point out that while thebaine poppies were profitable in the early days, for the most part, the big money was not flowing to farmers.

From Washington Post

After lobbying by Glaxo, Tasmanian Alkaloids and Australian government officials, U.S. officials said that they would not count thebaine under the import rule.

From Washington Post