- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Borrowing
- First attested
- Pliny the Elder
- Borrowed from
- Ancient Greek ὄπιον
- Ultimate origin
- Ancient Greek (ὀπός)
Pronunciation
Forms
opium n (genitive opiī or opī); second declension[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ὄπιον (ópion, “poppy juice”),[2][1] a diminutive of ὀπός (opós, “plant juice”), from Proto-Indo-European *sokʷos (“juice, resin”).[1][3] The form opion is also found.[4][5]
Earliest recorded meaning
Pliny the Elder describes poppy juice in his Natural History.[4][6] Köbler dates him 23/24–79 AD.[7]
Semantic evolution
It was poppy juice, opium, used in medicine, as in Scribonius Largus and Pliny Valerianus.[2][6] Isidore of Seville and Oribasius also mention it.[5]
In medieval medicine it was opium, sometimes named by its place of origin, as Theban opium.[8] English opium is recorded in the late 14th century.[3]
Timeline
- c. 47 AD – Scribonius Largus uses it in medicine.[6][7]
- 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder describes it.[4][7]
- late 14th century – Borrowed into English as opium.[3]
Meanings
Noun
Related words
- English opium
References
- ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
- ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
- ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
Borrowed into
- English opium
Related etymologies
- anemone · also from Greek
- asbestos · also from Greek
- amethystus · also from Greek
- ambrosia · also from Greek
- allegoria · also from Greek
- saccus · also from Greek
- asparagus · also from Greek
- asphodelus · also from Greek
Cite this entry
“Opium.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/opium. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.
Last edited on . ·