Dictionary
o•pi•um
Pronunciation: (ō'pē-um), [key]—
n.
1. the dried, condensed juice of a poppy,
Papaver somniferum, that has a narcotic, soporific, analgesic, and astringent effect and contains morphine, codeine, papaverine, and other alkaloids used in medicine in their isolated or derived forms: a narcotic substance, poisonous in large doses.
2. anything that causes dullness or inaction or that soothes the mind or emotions.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.