laudanum

/'lɔdnəm/

Thân thiện

A Victorian-era doctor carefully measures a dose of laudanum into a small glass.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A narcotic preparation: Laudanum is a tincture of opium, historically used as a painkiller and sedative. It consists of opium dissolved in alcohol.

Usage

• Laudanum was a common medicinal substance in the 18th and 19th centuries.
• It is now largely obsolete due to its addictive properties and the development of safer alternatives.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Victorian doctors sometimes prescribed laudanum for pain and insomnia.
  • The historical account described the poet's addiction to laudanum.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: The term is primarily used in historical, medical, or literary contexts to describe a past practice.
  • The novel's depiction of 19th-century life included references to the widespread use of laudanum.

Variants and Related Words

• Tincture of Opium: A more precise pharmaceutical term for a similar preparation.
• Paregoric: Another historical camphorated tincture of opium, often used to treat diarrhea.

Synonyms

• Opium tincture
• Thebaic tincture (archaic)

Notes

• Laudanum is not a modern pharmaceutical product. Discussions of it typically concern its historical role. Its use is strongly associated with the risk of addiction and overdose.

Học thuật

Noun

1. narcotic consisting of an alcohol solution of opium or any preparation in which opium is the main ingredient

Từ đồng nghĩa

• tincture of opium