codéine

Forms

codéine f (uncountable)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Ancient Greek κώδεια (kṓdeia, “poppy head”) with the suffix -ine, a name given by the chemist Robiquet, who discovered the substance.^[2][3][4][1] The Greek word, which also meant the bulb of a plant, is of unexplained origin.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Robiquet named the substance in 1832 in his Nouvelles observations sur les principaux produits de l'opium: Cette matière, à laquelle j'ai donné le nom de codéine (“This substance, to which I have given the name codeine”).^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its sense, a narcotic alkaloid of opium used to calm coughs.^[3][2] In 1890 it gave codéthyline, formed from codéine and éthyle, for a related compound made from morphine.^[2][3]

English codeine (1838, first as codeina) comes from the French word.^[5]

Timeline

• 1832 – Robiquet names codéine.^[2][4]
• 1838 – English codeina is recorded.^[5]
• 1890 – Codéthyline appears in the Larousse supplement.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. codeine, a narcotic alkaloid extracted from opium or made from morphine, used as a cough sedative.^[2][6][3]

Word family

• codéthyline

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert