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opium

o·pi·um [ ṓpee əm ] (plural o·pi·ums)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. addictive drug: a brownish gummy extract from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy that contains several highly addictive narcotic alkaloid substances such as morphine and codeine

2. stupefying thing: something that has a stupefying, numbing, or sleep-inducing effect
Soap operas she dismissed as the opium of a bored populace.

[14th century. Via Latin< Greek opion "poppy juice" < opos "vegetable juice"]
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