opium

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An opium poppy is a plant that produces seeds from which a powerful pain-relieving substance can be extracted.

The word "opium" is often associated with addiction and dark history, but it's also used more neutrally to refer to medical treatments or even as an ingredient in beauty products. For example, you might hear about doctors prescribing opium-based painkillers for chronic patients, or see a facial cream claiming to contain opium extracts for skin health. Opium can also be used in the context of history and culture - like ancient trade routes that involved opium-rich regions, or literary works that mention its use.

How common is "opium"?

Word opium is considered rare in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
Definitions

noun

  • (uncountable) A yellow-brown, addictive narcotic drug obtained from the dried juice of unripe pods of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, and containing alkaloids such as morphine, codeine, and papaverine.

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Real examples of "opium" in context

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